Posted by | Uncategorized | Posted on September 3rd, 2010
Not a whole lot of news to report.
It is truly astonishing just how close we are getting to going back. I’m looking forward to a smooth transition back into our beloved city. Tulane has resumed normal operations, including moving back into Gibson Hall last weekend. My assumption is that we will see a greater amount of announcements over the next few days/weeks.
Speaking of returning to “normal”, I’ve launched a new venture, Night Vision Entertainment, which will work to restore a lot of the social aspects to Tulane students. A lot of places aren’t going to reopen right away, so I’m working on deals with a bunch of reopening nightclubs and bars to establish weekly college nights, so that we can all stay together. I’ve spent a great deal of time doing this over my last three years, but now I feel that we are going to need a lot of social organization more than ever. The facebook group: “New Orleans is, hands down, the biggest party city in the world” will be the place for people to get advance updates on all of our special events. So if you are interested, you can join now and I’ll be sending out updates on a regular basis.
I definitely plan to work on some philanthropy ideas for next semester. Those of you who are truly motivated to help out should join my other facebook group: “N.O.L.A.- New Orleans Lives Again.” We are going to think of innovative ways to help bring the city back stronger than ever, not just regular fundraising and toy drives- which are GREAT, but there’s much more to be done. See the group for more details.
It seems like people are just waiting to go back, counting down minute by minute. No one is excited for finals at their new school- I sure am not. However, most of us are just a few weeks away from completing our first and hopefully our last semester as a visiting student. Tulane and New Orleans will be a different place when we go back, but I’ll still see it as home.
More good news is that I still don’t know of many people who won’t be returning to Tulane. There are many people who are using next semester as an abroad semester, but since a lot of people did that this semester there will be a huge population on our campus.
I wanted to get some input on how people are handling the following situation. Most of us have become extremely acclimated to our new lifestyles; making new friends, building routines, and learned about our social and cultural environments. How does everyone feel about having to drop all that and go back to Tulane, or for some of you, go to Tulane for the first time? I’ve dealt with this by realizing that if its really that great, it’ll be there when I get back. I have a lot that I’ll miss here in Los Angeles, but I could never go without my four years of Tulane. If this lifestyle is important to me, I will resume it when I return to LA after graduation.
Speaking of graduation how about that? For me, and most of my friends, this is our last semester of college. Who’s getting emotional? Come on, we know you are!
Anyways, I miss you all. Hope everyone is well and excited for our return.
Coming soon- updates on moving back in and just how that‘s gonna go down.
Talk to you soon,
Brett
Source: Brett Hyman
Posted by | Uncategorized | Posted on September 3rd, 2010
From the Whole Foods corporate website:
“Welcome back! While Arabella Station is under repair from Hurricane Katrina, Whole Foods Market has introduced the Pick Up Service that provides Whole Foods Market products to residents throughout the Gulf Coast region. Customers may call 1-800-967-9703 and order their favorite Whole Foods Market products, from fresh organic produce, artisan food, and special diet offerings to chilled prepared foods and holiday orders. All orders are delivered by refrigerated truck the following business day to the Arabella Station location only. Arabella Station will reopen the first week in January.”
: )
Source: Brett Hyman
Posted by | Uncategorized | Posted on September 3rd, 2010
I will deviate from my usual unconditionally pro-tulane stance in order to offer you a researched analysis of the new Tulane policy. Some of you may know what this new Tulane policy is, but I fear that many of you haven’t even noticed that a change has taken place. This change isn’t just a minor tweak in the operation of the university policy, but according to President Scott Cowen it is “the most significant reinvention of a university in the United States in over a century (LA Times, 12/9/05).”
Let’s first take a look at the major changes: http://renewal.tulane.edu/background.shtml
Let me dispel the major rumor: they AREN’T cutting a ton of majors. They are making a bunch of minor changes in a lot of areas and a few really big structural changes, in areas that really don’t affect us. However, all of these changes serve to enhance the academic integrity of the university, and will not do anything to harm it.
Let’s first look at the assumptions of all this change. Tulane is acting in a way that will help mitigate its financial burden and cut expenses while establishing an opportunity to grow. I don’t expect any of the current people at Tulane to like the idea of these changes, because no one wants their undergraduate experience to be altered in any way. However, these changes won’t affect our experience at all. In fact, they will work to benefit the experiences of future students. We should look at these decisions as positive steps toward restoration of our old financial status as well as steps toward enhancing the academic quality of our remaining programs.
It seems that Tulane went ahead establishing these policies without consulting the student body. A few sources with whom I have spoken have indicated that Tulane moved forward with these major changes without input from any of the elected student representatives. This isn’t necessarily a big change from Tulane’s typical method of decision-making protocol. Apparently they, along with MOST colleges, tend to make decisions without major consultation with the student organizations. I don’t see why it would hurt to at least consult with the student government officials know what’s going on, even if they don’t get a big say. Not being a part of these organizations myself, I don’t have a lot to say about this particular aspect, but I know there are many who do. So let’s work toward that, Tulane administration.
Assuming you have read all the specifics, which are found here, I’m going to look at some of the major points and see how they may affect Tulane’s future.
Tulane’s biggest changes are the elimination of many engineering majors, layoffs of 230 faculty, elimination of the “coordinate system” and reduction of our involvement in the NCAA.
To begin with, the changes to the engineering majors is sad, it truly is. I mean, cutting five programs seems to be pretty drastic. But it isn’t a drastic move in any facet. I love all you engineers majors out there, but let me explain. The cuts will affect 229 undergrads, or 3% of all the undergraduates. That’s all. Tulane will, instead, save a ton of money and invest in programs that will help bring them academic recognition and, of course, federal funds (USAToday, 12/8/05). I’m sorry to you 229 undergrads, I truly am.
The next big change is that Tulane will now sponsor only six Division I intercollegiate athletics programs competing in eight sports. They will suspend the others. The changes will affect 100 students — one-third of student athletes. Athletic scholarships will be honored, and assistance will be given to those who wish to transfer (USAToday, 12/8/05). Since I don’t know a lot about NCAA sports, I contacted my friend Blake Rotor, who happens to be quite knowledgeable in this area. Blake writes: The sports situation is mainly a cost-cutting measure. It has been discussed for years that the athletic department loses a lot of money each year and there have been previous discussions about dropping out of division 1 all together, most recently in the spring of 2003. Tulane was granted a waiver from the NCAA for this catastrophe so that they don’t have to abide by the membership requirements of being a Division 1 member, but the waiver is only good for 5 years. Normally, in order to be Division 1, a school must have 7 mens and 7 womens sports, or 6 mens & 8 womens, which is they way Tulane has been for 2 years now after the addition of women’s swimming & diving, and the removal of men’s track. There are also football attendance requirements to be D 1, but those are unimportant right now. Today, the school cut down to 4 mens teams and 4 womens teams which is far below the NCAA requirements. It is even below the requirements for being Division 3, like Emory, Wash U, Chicago and other academic institutions are. In order to be Division 3, a school must have 5 mens and 5 womens sports. Also, this is invalid with the provisions of Title 9 which says that your male/female athlete ratio must be very close, I think within 3% percentage points but I’m not sure, of the school’s male/female total student ratio. Thus, changes will have to be made soon to add more sports, or decide to drop out of the NCAA entirely and become an NAIA school like Loyola New Orleans, which would be quite unexpected. The logical thing for them would be to bring back men’s & women’s tennis, and become a Division III school, without any athletic scholarships, but let baseball play at Division 1, which is possible and had been discussed during the football talks 2 years ago. The sports that were cut were expensive, brought in zero money, and don’t bring much prestige or recognition to the school, while it is sad to see them go. – thanks Blake.
Now for the layoffs. I believe this is a purely financial decision. Tulane just can’t afford to keep a ton of people on staff, and consequently the medical school will account for 180 of the 230 layoffs. The university said that it will concentrate on areas where it has attained, or has the potential to achieve, world-class excellence and “will suspend admission to those programs that do not meet these criteria.” But the university did not immediately identify which programs that would mean (CNN.com, 12/8/05). We can infer that the money will be reinvested into programs that yield larger financial grants, and thus make a huge difference. I’m sad to see this program go. But when the time comes, I know it will be back.
About 86% of Tulane’s 11,390 undergraduate students have registered for spring semester, just under the more typical 90% registration rate by this time of the year. (Take that naysayers). Freshman applications for next fall are up about 12% compared with this time last year (USAToday, 12/8/05). Tulane will be raising academic standards and shrinking the size of the incoming freshman class. However, tuition only accounts for 35% of Tulane’s revenue (LA Times, 12/8/05). If we get a huge federal relief grant (which we will), this will more than make up for the loss in tuition as well as help pay for the cleanup effort of the school.
Other change to note- almost every single class at Tulane will be taught by a full-time faculty member. I can’t stress how beneficial that can be to our ability to learn a thing or two.
Additionally, Tulane will be getting rid of the “coordinate system.” This unique system split men and women in hypothetical colleges, respectively Tulane College and Newcomb College. For people who didn’t meet all of these college’s academic standards, many students were accepted in the University College and given the opportunity to transfer into one of the other colleges after completing some coursework at Tulane. These different colleges will now be lumped in one administrative body, The College of Arts of Sciences. Big deal? Nope. Nothing changes academically, except men and women will share advisors, deans and such. What does it mean for the school? They don’t need three different administrative staffs running the same academic programs.
The bottom line, Tulane faces a $200 million operating deficit and these new policies will help solve more than 25% of that. This is a step in a positive direction for more than just financial reasons. Clearly, Tulane has solidified measures that will substantially enhance their academic status. I believe that these academic changes will really do some good for the university, especially in the long term. Yes, some of the changes are pretty significant. Yes, change is a scary. But we all should have gotten used to change by now.
Brett Hyman
Source: Brett Hyman
Posted by | Uncategorized | Posted on September 3rd, 2010
First of all happy holidays to everyone who reads my site….
Has the media forgotten about the help New Orleans will still need? Has the federal government ever paid attention to New Orleans? Have the people of the United States forgotten what has happened?
Sometimes I feel like they have.
Clearly, the media attention has dissolved. We would expect nothing less. One reason it has begun to disappear is because the federal government (mainly the executive branch) has ignored the rebuilding effort in its entirety. When was the last time Bush was in New Orleans? When was the last time he mentioned some ideas about what the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT should do to PREVENT future disasters? We know something needs to radically change. Is he waiting until one more disaster happens before we make those changes? This criticism isn’t ringing loudly enough with the American people. It’s not that they don’t care about the future of New Orleans, it’s that they don’t recognize the lack of attention being paid to the rebuilding effort. I want to get these issues into the limelight. I am contemplating the concept of creating some type of political action committee that can raise money to put pressure on politicians of that sort. Wanna help? Join the N.O.L.A.- New Orleans Lives Again facebook group.
Let’s talk about the city for a minute. The city is bouncing back rapidly and not everyone is able to appreciate that. Still, a lot of work needs to be done. But the city is going to become radically different, relatively quickly. The rich people are going to come back right away. The poorer people will be forced to stay in their current situations until their neighborhoods are restored. Many of these neighborhoods are being rebuilt to be much higher class. Thus, we will see these areas improve socially. The poorer people may not come back. This would of course upset me, as I believe they play an equally important role in the culture of New Orleans. But I know that New Orleans will be a better place. There will be room for everyone to come back one day, and the city will flourish with a larger population.
But how can I prove this will happen? If you happen to be watching the news or reading magazines like the Economist or Newsweek, then you probably know how I’ll support these claims. New Orleans is receiving a ton of federal money (not enough but still a lot). They will not go broke. Politicians can’t afford to let them go broke. It’s wildly unpopular for a politician to be against relief for New Orleans. New Orleans announced it will be the FIRST fully internet wireless city. On top of that, real estate development companies are ALREADY in New Orleans, purchasing a ton of land. They know what the value will be, and many expect St. Charles to become one of the highest valued streets in the nation.
Will this happen right away? NOPE. Don’t expect it to. It will, however, BE happening while we are there. We have a chance to be a part of the biggest rebuilding effort in the world. We will watch as people flood into the city, as areas are restored, and as new structures are created. We have a chance to witness it all and learn from it. This disaster will inspire many to learn what went wrong. When we graduate, people will know that Tulane students have had the most unique experience in the world. And no, they won’t think Tulane’s academic reputation fell apart, because Tulane will make itself better known.
With all this said, I spoke with one of my favorite freshmen yesterday, and she told me how the chances of her going back were almost non-existent. She said she absolutely wanted to (she had just been down in New Orleans earlier this week) but her father said absolutely not. Her father said he didn’t like the way it looked and it appears he didn’t approve of her going back. I just don’t understand how a parent could completely negate their child’s wishes. Why would any parent want to make their son or daughter unhappy? Why would they want to make a decision against his or her wishes? It doesn’t make sense. I’m old enough to make my own decisions. If I didn’t want to go back, I wouldn’t. Anyone who goes to college makes much more life altering decisions than whether to return to Tulane. These parents act like their child isn’t returning to Tulane, but is going to live in a shack on the street. In fact, it makes me furious to believe that some people won’t be able to experience the magic of New Orleans and the love of the Tulane family, just because their parent wants them to stay a school that is “coincidentally” closer to home. For the love of God, let her make her own decision!
I have gained new introspect into the issue regarding people returning to New Orleans. I know that inevitably people won’t return. I know that the resilient ones will. I know that those who have the strongest bond with New Orleans couldn’t bear to miss out on the upcoming semester. I know that those who don’t have this bond won’t come back. I just wish that all of those who wish to experience the magic of Tulane won’t be stopped by anything other than their own free will.
Up until very recently, I refused to accept that New Orleans would be any different when we got back. How ridiculous, of course it will be different. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. In fact, it could present a multitude of opportunity that will enhance the experience that I have articulated in previous posts. We are all wary of change; we are all scared of going back to New Orleans and finding a deserted wasteland. I don’t run away from adversity. I don’t blame those that do. But I don’t. I face it and challengeit; ultimately defeating it or learning from my own mistakes. Returning to New Orleans is the biggest challenge that some of us may ever face, coping with our emotions from this tragedy may be a close second. Regardless, I look forward to it. But that’s me. And I guess have to accept the fact that some people view this challenge as a risk, and they would rather not risk their education. And that’s where I think I differ from those that aren’t returning. I view this as something that we can overcome with perseverance and persistence. But those that aren’t up to it, I’ll just say farewell. To be part of our community, it’s going to take a lot of work. You are going to have to care. In fact, you are going to have to take a lot of action. Those of us who will be in New Orleans for spring semester know this, and we are ready to face the challenge.
People who aren’t coming back are still in a massive minority. Most of us Tulane students are the type who want to experience the rebulding of New Orleans and assist in some way. We are those who will look at the return as a CHALLENGE and not a RISK. But if you are wondering about how many people will return to New Orleans, I refer you to the following site, where about almost every single person has said that they will, in fact, be back. http://tulane.spatang.com/view.php
Another post coming soon,
Brett
Source: Brett Hyman
Posted by | Uncategorized | Posted on September 3rd, 2010
As I finished up my final preparations for the big move back to the big easy, I began to reflect on my unique experience this past semester. I recognized how it’s likely that no two people had the same experience, even if they went to the same school. I am excited that everyone will have something different to contribute back at school. I’m anxious to return, and even more eager to rebuild my life down there. I’m looking forward to the challenge of rebuilding our life in New Orleans, everything from reestablishing our daily routines to developing new entertainment experiences. It won’t ever be the same again. I’m cool with that.
Whether you even return to Tulane or not, there is obviously a great deal of introspect that you can take away from this semester. There are myriad ways in which we can all learn and mature from our experiences this semester.
If anything, I can tell you that I gained a great deal of introspect from operating this blog. Being able to express my emotions and read responses (even the bad) was a wonderful opportunity. On this site, there were many different types of readers. First, were the positive supporters, the wonderful people who wrote me emails and posted positive comments that provided new insight into my analysis. There were the negative supporters. These people disagreed with my analysis or my perspectives, and posted so in a respectful manner. They contributed to balancing the issues when my views were biased. Then there were the nay-sayers. These people clearly disagreed with my analysis, and also found it necessary to bring down the tone of the blog by voicing extremely negative views, many times without any foundation or warrant. There were the quiet readers. These people read the blog and never posted a thing. Some emailed me, and some never spoke a word. Then there were the worried parents- parents so apprehensive about letting their child return, that the logic on this website did nothing to change them. There were supportive (and unsupportive) alumni, who were concerned that Tulane would never be the same, in a good or bad way. And finally there were the administrators, many who didn’t admit they were reading this site. The few who did admit they were frequent readers said this site helped many of them maintain hope that the students would return and the students would care.
This site did the same for many of us; it gave us hope during a time of absolute uncertainty.
Each of these types of people helped this blog become what it was: a voice. Sometimes it was a voice for the students. Sometimes it was a voice for the parents or for the alumni. Sometimes it supported the Tulane administration. Many times is disagreed. Regardless, we created discourse. We had intelligent discussion, unintelligent discussion, and even downright fighting. Nevertheless, it was a place in which we came together under the common desire for information and emotional relief.
As I sit here, only hours away from my return to New Orleans, I reflect on my experience at USC this fall semester. I remember the good, the bad, and the indisputably difficult. I remember when we were first just evacuees in Galveston. I remember when I had a special “Tulane student orientation.” I remember when I walked into my first class. I remember unforgettable football games. I remember finals. I remember saying goodbye to my wonderful professors. I remember having a ton of fun. I remember saying I’d trade it all for a semester in New Orleans.
As I went through and read each of my posts, I reflected on my emotions at the time in which I wrote them. What a rollercoaster it has truly been.
It doesn’t matter whether you agreed or disagreed with my views. It doesn’t matter whether you believe Tulane is good or evil. We all took something positive away from our experiences this semester. We are all more intelligent, well-rounded individuals. We all share a common bond. This semester will be a time in which we will unite under this bond and we will show the world that “us Tulane students are a special breed…”
We are all a part of the Tulane family, whether you like it or not.
I wish you all the best of luck and I hope to meet every single person who read this site over the course of the semester. Don’t you dare be a stranger, I’m easy to find (AEPI/my own parties/good concerts/class from time to time).
Sincerely,
Brett Hyman
Source: Brett Hyman
Posted by | Uncategorized | Posted on September 3rd, 2010
Announcing the one last chance for graduating seniors to be together!!!!
www.GreenWaveGraduationGala.com
Hope to see you all there!!
Source: Brett Hyman
Posted by admin | Uncategorized | Posted on September 3rd, 2010
A few things:
1) If people have specific topics that they would like to discuss, feel free to write an article and send it to me. I cannot promise it will get on, so if you don’t want to waste your time, then send me an idea and we’ll talk about it. I will probably get a lot of requests for this, so please don’t be offended if I dont put yours up. I just have a way of doing things here, and I obviously can’t put up 5 articles in one day. Plus, you always have the comments forum! The email for this is TulaneStudentBlog@gmail.com Only send them to that email.
2) Quit the personal attacks. If you want to attack me send me an email just ripping into me. I will gladly read it and respond. I really don’t think people need to post just mean stuff on this site. We are NOT going to debate the greek system on this site. If you want to do that, go and make a site for debating the greek system. I bet people really care about that in this emotional time. Again, send these attack emails to TulaneStudentBlog@gmail.com. If you want to attack some one who is not me, then read number 3.
3) I’m getting rid of the anonymous feature. I’ve gotten a ton of requests to do it, and I actually think it’ll do good. You also should put your email at the bottom of your comments, so other people can contact you when you post something really ridiculous on my site.
4) I hope everyone is doing well in their new schools and new situations. Sorry this site has turned into a bit of an immature Tulane/fraternity/Scott Cowen bashing session. I hope everyone that has contributed positively to this site will still come check it, as I think these changes will make a significant difference in allowing us to provide relevant content. I am keeping hope alive for this blog, and will continue to post my thoughts and analysis, as I always have.
Brett Hyman
Source: Brett Hyman
Posted by admin | Uncategorized | Posted on September 3rd, 2010
It’s time to bring this site back to the students, so spread the word. Today I’m going to talk about why it is that we are just so obsessed with getting back to New Orleans as soon as possible, because no one gets it- not parents, not friends from other schools, not even many alumni. It seems that many of these people just can’t seem to fathom why we would be in such a hurry to go back. Some of us are in “better” universities than Tulane, others are in bigger schools or with our “best friends from home.” Why would we be so eager to get back to New Orleans when we can be with our home friends in our hometowns with our wonderful parents?
I know people at USC, UCSB, UCLA, Boulder, Stanford, Michigan, Texas, Arizona, and Yale; and very few of them understand why we are so eager to go back to a place that could have virtually no amenities (which we will but that’s another argument). Each of those universities is unique in its own way, some small or big, some with mostly instate people and some with out of state people. So why are we so different from every single one? I should also mention the parents, who are generally terrified of the possibility of students returning, even though Tulane would never let us come back until it was 110% safe. Parents keep saying “I’ll never let my kid go back there” or “Why would you even want to go back?” Hey parents, I don’t expect you to understand. But students will.
I want to go back because Tulane is my second family, it’s that simple. Allow me to elaborate. Something about New Orleans and about Tulane compels the students to bond in a way that I have never seen at another university. Clearly, something brings us together; you can say it’s simply the availability of common social locations such as the Boot, or a love for the community around Tulane. It could be that many of us all have this general craving for adventure (which is true, Tulane students seem to be very adventurous). But another major factor that is often forgotten is that we make New Orleans our homes, not our second homes or our temporary homes, but our primary homes. In many universities, students opt to travel or go home on the weekends, never fully establishing a permanent connection with their surroundings. I think this severely impacts the way they interact socially, if for anything, because these people retain very intimate relationships with their home friends. Many, not all, of these people have stronger connections with their hometown than with New Orleans, and that’s just not the case for us Tulane students. Now, I’m sure that there are people who are outside of this analysis; but I’m just trying to generalize things so we can analyze the situation further. It seems to be that since we all stay in New Orleans, without the opportunity or desire to leave every weekend, we bond on another level; that of family. We make connections on hundreds of levels, from the campus life to the restaurants, from the people to the transportation, from our classes to the supermarkets social scene (Whole Foods for sure). Tulane replaces your home situation, your family structure. This is a great thing because we all need a permanent local family (even if it’s just until we graduate). To me, my friends are my brothers and sisters, the university is my parents, and Bourbon Street is some weird uncle who is fun for the first 10 minutes of the party until he’s had a few too many drinks.
The good and the bad of my experience as a student at Tulane have fit neatly into a family structure. And thus, when I’m without New Orleans, I’m without my second family. At Tulane, we develop tradition; be it a crawfish boil on Fridays or Five Happiness Chinese Food on Sundays (hope they are still there). At Tulane, there is a sense of community; such as peoples’ relationships within the Hullabaloo, TEMS, Hillel, TUCP, CACTUS, sports, or the Greek system. These mini-communities become a focal point for our emotional stability. We use them to connect with each other under a common bond, and enhance our emotional states. At Tulane there’s a lot of love. Some of us love the music of New Orleans- from jazz to hip-hop. Others of us love the food, the culture, or the wild party life. You can’t get this unique blend of cultural elements anywhere, not even in major European cities. At Tulane, there is happiness. It seems that the students are just generally happy there. I base this on a 2 factors. 1) The sentiments I get from students all around the country, that nowhere and I mean nowhere, compares to Tulane and 2) The expression of content that students have with the school (read about it on the “what I miss about New Orleans” section). Finally there’s a major sense of unity. It seems that we the students have a general love for each other, and thus, a general respect for the community- a respect for the family. And hey, MAYBE IT’S LIKE THIS AT OTHER SCHOOLS, but I don’t know one person who understands my feelings about it and really, it doesn’t matter.
What about Tulane University itself? Well it’s just an amazing academic institution. The professors are remarkable. We could not do without Lesmond, Beau, Burrows, and Hogg (and that’s just people in the b-school). The facilities are new and high tech. The administration cares. When I want to talk to my advisor, I call him on the phone and HE answers. If you need to talk to a professor, you can email him or her and actually get a response. Most of my professors give me their home numbers. The students are intelligent, and always work together to help each other out. The food…well let’s just say we’d like Subway back, please. The campus is gorgeous, even in the latest pictures. Yes, Tulane costs a lot of money. It was a big factor in my decision where to go to school. But I think it’s worth every penny and so do my parents. You get your money’s worth- a quality institution with life at your fingertips.
So what about the potential class of 2010? Or the class of 2009? I don’t think that videos or even speeches from Administrators are going to entice a class of people who have a lot of other options for colleges. They know Tulane’s a good school. They know they are going to have a great dorm life. They know that New Orleans is an interesting city. But there are 100 other cities that can provide them with all these fabulous things. Why should they even bother when they can try to get in to Michigan? Family is the word. Tradition, community, love, happiness. This unique blend of culture and community can’t be found anywhere else.
To the class of 2010: This is your life. This is your future. It doesn’t matter whether you go to a school ranked 30 or 40, it matters on what kind of personal experience you can bring to your career. If your gut tells you that you might benefit from the array of opportunities that await you at Tulane, then I challenge you to take the plunge. I challenge you to try out the one university that will become your second .family The decision on where to go to college will affect you for the rest of your life. No college is the same, and maybe Tulane isn’t for you. But if you are looking to gain valuable intellectual, cultural, and social experiences that can’t be matched anywhere else; then Tulane is the place. Plus, the other colleges will always be there, but you won’t find this experience anywhere else.
Look, am I saying New Orleans is perfect? No way. Could we do without a few things here and there? Absolutely. I’m saying its better. I’m saying that I’ve been a lot of places, and there’s truly nothing like it. The experience that I have taken away from Tulane is incomparable. I grew and matured in ways that leave my friends from home in awe. My parents think that I made the best decision coming to Tulane, where I grew culturally as well an independently. I’m saying that there are good reasons why these students want to come back as soon as possible. I’m saying there are good reasons very few people (if any) are permanently transferring. So those of you who don’t get why we want to come back- stop asking us why, and start asking us when.
Miss you all,
Brett N. Hyman
Source: Brett Hyman
Posted by admin | Uncategorized | Posted on September 3rd, 2010
Reality begins to set in. My analogy of Tulane’s reopening is as if you’ve been shaking a bottle of champagne for 4 months, and then pop the cork. Joy, happiness, fulfillment, and relief will be just a few of the emotions that we will share, together. We are the blood of Tulane. When its heart starts pumping again; our bond will be greater, our resilience stronger. I know it’s been difficult. I’ve received countless emails from people who are experience unbearable circumstances in their new situations. But the news is official; Tulane will reopen January 17th, 2006.
Let’s dispel the obvious immediate assumption: what if New Orleans isn’t ready? Well, then Tulane won’t open. Tulane will wait until the appropriate time before it lets students in. They can’t hold classes if half the students have hepatitis C. Don’t even try to suggest on this site that they will do otherwise. But delving deep into that further, we can look at a few facts prove New Orleans will, in fact, be safe. The French Quarter has power (see New Orleans Fresh Quarter Comes Back to Life). The Central Business District had power. All of uptown will have power in the next few weeks. Potable water will be delivered to these parts of New Orleans in the next 5 weeks. These three areas are all we need in order to enjoy New Orleans in the same way in which we once did. The trash on campus is mostly cleared away (new pictures will be in soon). Facilities are being rebuilt now. There’s no way that New Orleans won’t be ready by that date. It’s been about a month, and look at where we already are. Imagine what we can do in 3 months. In January, the spirit of New Orleans will live again because the people who make up its soul will return. Case closed.
Now, we’ve heard comments from wonderful people who seemed to take pleasure in putting down the possibility of a Tulane reopening for Spring. Are you all going to eat your hat? My bet is some of them will come back to this site and tell us bad stories of what will happen when we go back. Some of them will talk of our houses being destroyed and of New Orleans “never being the same.” But please cross reference my last post about the New Orleans family and remember: New Orleans is more than just a bunch of cool streets, it’s about the people. It’s the students, the locals, and even the tourists. So, I’m going to have to say you are wrong. By typing this particular paragraph, I know I’m challenging the people who still naysay for whatever vain and narcissistic reason they have (which is not my intention). However, we’d appreciate if you’d start your own site about it, and leave us alone. Also, if you want to rant about New Orleans; maybe give us an idea on how to make things better, rather than just putting it down. For example, if you don’t like Tulane, suggest how to fix it. I bet you will get a lot more respect that way, and people might believe you “love New Orleans” like you suggest you do. You know who you are.
And if you want to get negative, I’ll get a little negative. I’m worried about off campus housing. By most reports, many houses will be fine. But there will be a few, maybe 100 students, maybe 500 students; who might be without homes. To solve this, we will need to think. I’m sure Tulane’s administration is worrying about this too; it seems to be their one largest problem. My bet is that they find some sort of temporary housing, I heard cruise ships. I’d do that for sure. I’m going to do some serious research about how we can handle “the mold problem.” I’ll get back to you soon. Don’t worry yet.
So let’s talk about what I’m not worried about, and that’s spring semester’s possibility. I’m energetic and enthusiastic to get back. I’m optimistic and confidant in the new government commitment after their successive failures. I’m realistic and practical about the many logistical issues that we’ll face. State and local officials are going to work hard to make the city come back as quickly as possible. In one month, New Orleans will be a different place. Most of the major services and businesses will be back and the individual businesses will then start to rebuild.
Today is a joyous day for Tulane students around the world. Today we had the chance to see the future. We are again given hope. Our dedication will demonstrate to the world just how important Tulane is to us. Our devotion to New Orleans will single-handedly bring it back to life. We will be a community once again.
Brett Hyman
PS- Stay tuned for a post on the lagniappe semester, graduation, and other fun stuff.
Source: Brett Hyman
Posted by admin | Uncategorized | Posted on September 3rd, 2010
MESSAGE TO UPPERCLASSMEN: START A FACEBOOK GROUP AT YOUR NEW UNIVERSITY- CALL IT “Tulane @ ______” For example “ TULANE @ BU”. Create the facebook group in the TULANE facebook. Do it in the Tulane facebook because I want all Tulane students to be able to search for it and join it. Make sure you search for the group before you create it so there aren’t two group about the same school! We are going to use these groups to connect with Tulane students at our new schools and hopefully talk about issues such as returning to Tulane. Hopefully you can focus on finding a bunch of freshmen and meet up with them. Organize a party or a dinner, get together and tell them why they should be coming back to Tulane in the spring. If you want my help organizing anything, please feel free to invite me to the group and I will try to facilitate things. The least we can do is reach out to freshmen at our new universities. And to the freshmen, you gotta join the group so we know who you are!
Now for today’s post:
The great debate is about the future of the student body. Some people ask how big the freshman class with be, others ask whether there will be one at all. Clearly, a lot of freshmen have seen this site, so let me clear some things up for them. I speak to a ton of people, every single day. I get heartfelt emails from students who were helped by my site. I get confused emails from students who were perplexed by my site. And I get angry emails from students who think I’m merely a cheerleader for Tulane. Listen, I’m not concerned with what you think the intentions are for this site, but here are the facts about why I think you all will come back:
When I first put together this blog, a girl named Alli contacted me via email. She noticed that we were from the same hometown, so she sought a bit of advice about what she should do. Alli was a freshman at Tulane who was on campus for maybe 4 hours. She, along with almost 2,000 other freshmen, was told to go home before they even made a new home at Tulane. Alli and I became friends, and I spoke to her on many occasions about my experiences at Tulane. I told her everything that I’ve said on this site: about the Tulane family and the about uniqueness of the city and its culture. I told her that it may not be the same, but that that didn’t matter because the community will be even better. You see, she wasn’t deciding whether to transfer, she was deciding what she was going to do until she could go back. She didn’t know whether she’d stay home and go to school or go to a college further away. However, she was sure about one thing. She was sure she was going back to Tulane. The thing Alli didn’t know was that I was learning from her too. This remarkable girl was showing dedication to a university that she hadn’t yet attended. She was showing loyalty to the commitment she had made. She was able to sense the Tulane Family that I speak of… It seemed that she had made this decision to return without even reading the site, but I don’t know that for sure. I dont think she knew about the Tulane family that I describe here, but I think she was actually able to sense that something was in fact different about us. So, she spent a couple of weeks deciding what she should do. She flew around the country visiting schools, some academically superior to Tulane. In the end, she came to me with sentiments that nothing compared to Tulane, and she would absolutely be ready to return in the Spring. Remember: she hadn’t been at Tulane even one night! I think this has to do with her ability to sense the family and the love that the students had for Tulane.
I tell this story because it is a perfect example of what Tulane is all about. I only hope that Tulane recruited people like Alli for this year’s freshmen class. I don’t expect every freshman to be as confidant as she is in Tulane, but I do believe that many are. It’s perfectly normal to have questions, concerns and doubts; but in the end, your hearts will guide you. I like analyzing her situation, because it shows remarkable resilience and resolve in someone who had developed virtually no connection with Tulane. She was able to overcome severe emotions in a complicated situation. For that, I congratulate her; that’s quite a feat.
I couldn’t imagine in being in the shoes of any freshman. We expect everyone to come back, but the freshmen haven’t been able to experience Tulane or New Orleans. Now they are going to get comfortable in their new universities and many may be doubtful of whether they want to go through the process of coming back. But that statement was recently proved wrong. I learned that a lot of freshmen already decided that they are coming back. Thanks to this site, I’ve been able to communicate with hundreds of freshmen, some confused and others certain about their future. Wouldn’t you know it- turns out we have a lot more Alli’s than I thought. In fact, I would say about 90% of the people I talked to said they were certain they were coming back. Now, don’t feel weird if you are one of those people who aren’t sure about what to do. I’m sure there are a good number of you too. I know it is a tough decision, but I ask you to read my letter to the class of 2010, I think it applies to you too. If you really think you aren’t going to come back, I ask that you try to come back to New Orleans in Nov/Dec and see the place. I bet if we all came back together, we’d be able to show you what I’ve been describing. And finally, I ask that you find a Tulane student who is at your new university and meet up or talk to him or her. Start or look for a facebook group called “Tulane @ ____” and fill in the name of your university (make sure you search first to see if one exists already). I think many Tulane students will be more than happy to meet up and chat with you about the school and the importance of YOU ALL coming back. What an idea!
Let’s expand on that November or December visiting idea, because I really like it too. If Tulane becomes back up in November or December, they should have a back to school weekend. They should invite everyone back to see the university, the city, and the community. The freshmen can come back and see the place as it is, and they could meet each other. Upperclassmen can come back and do some work on their houses, and of course, act as ambassadors of the university. The whole city might not be back yet, but I’m sure there it will help sooth the fears of parents and students alike.
And speaking of our wonderful parents, I have a small appeal to you- since I know there are a ton of you reading this site. Please consider encouraging your kids to come back, or at least make up their own minds. I have heard of a lot of parents who are influencing their son or daughter not to come back, without giving him or her a chance to make this decision. This decision will affect the rest of their respective lives, and I think it was orignally made with good reason. I know you are worried and I can’t empathize with your feelings (since I have no children). But I can tell you that there won’t be anything to worry about in January. I think there is a reason this site has been around and gotten wonderful support. I also know that there really is a major difference in going to school in New Orleans and at Tulane, especially since I have been attending another university this semester. I promise you that we have the most wonderful collection of people at the school who will definitely be there when you get back. You have to believe in the spirit of New Orleans and the family of Tulane. And if you can’t; well, just know that we, the students, are all living proof.
Source: Brett Hyman