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KSU Katrina

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Sep 10, 2005 by Matt Moline Capital-Journal

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HURRICANE KATRINA

Rock solid evacuees

New Orleans geology students transfer to KSU

MANHATTAN --- Two weeks ago, Mo Morse had just completed her first week of fall semester classes at the University of New Orleans.

Then, Hurricane Katrina passed through the city on Aug. 29. A day later, a levee holding back Lake Pontchartrain was breached and the lake's waters flooded 80 percent of New Orleans, including most of the UNO campus.

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Although most UNO students initially expected the hurricane would disrupt classes only briefly, Morse, who is working toward a graduate degree in geology, had insider's information that the break in the levee would deal a more serious blow to her academic career in New Orleans.

"We're geology students, and we knew when we heard the levee had broken that the school wasn't going to re-open, at least for this semester," she said. "Before that, we thought we might be in good shape to resume classes."

But quick action by a pair of former UNO geology department faculty members, who began new teaching jobs last month at Kansas State University, saved Morse's academic standing, and that of seven other UNO students who have transferred to KSU.

When the hurricane hit New Orleans, KSU faculty members Matthew Totten and his wife, Iris, began contacting their former students in Louisiana, inviting them to enroll at KSU to continue studies in the geology department.

"We got the word out that if people needed a place to start school again, we might be able to help them out in Manhattan," said Iris Totten.

The first of the displaced students --- six of them graduate students --- arrived on the Tottens' doorstep on Sept. 3. A ninth student is expected to arrive this weekend, Iris Totten said.

"Officials at KSU have been very helpful," she said. "They had already paid their tuition in New Orleans and they've had to officially resign from the school to get their fees transferred up here."

Five of the students have found temporary housing in the home of a KSU faculty member who is on leave until the middle of October. Three others have been put up in a local hotel until apartments or other more permanent living arrangements can be found in Manhattan.

Six of the former UNO transfers are in graduate school, and the sudden influx has nearly doubled the enrollment in KSU's graduate geology program, which had only seven students at the start of the semester, officials said.

Morse, who is a lifelong resident of New Orleans, said all six of the former UNO graduate students plan to complete their degrees at KSU.

"We're glad we're here, and none of us have any plans to go back," she said. "We also hear there's a popular football team on campus, and that it's hard to get tickets to home games."

The Tottens said all of the students who have relocated to Manhattan had evacuated New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina's arrival and taken shelter at inland sites.

"But only two of the students had drivable cars to get up here, and most had to leave a lot of possessions back in New Orleans," said Matt Totten. "So in the end, most came here with just a duffel bag or a single suitcase."

Totten said the students have received emergency aid from the American Red Cross, which has distributed Wal-Mart store vouchers to buy clothes and food, along with reimbursement for travel costs, including airfare and gasoline.

Please see KSU, Page 5A

Continued from Page 1A

KSU: Displaced students say they won't transfer again

KSU Katrina

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Sep 10, 2005 by Matt Moline Capital-Journal

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