423 college students displaced by Katrina enroll in Tennessee
James Bradley Reaves
Arnold “Pete” Williamson
Gregory Scott Powell
James Bradley Reaves
Arnold “Pete” Williamson
Gregory Scott Powell
“They slipped me right in,” Stubblefield said.
He expected to spend his senior year at the University of New Orleans. Then Katrina hit and he found himself among thousands of students shut out by the storm and flooding.
A friend at UT-Knoxville told him that Tennessee was opening its doors to displaced students. By Monday he arrived on campus. Stubblefield has already started classes in his business major and attended a brief orientation session for displaced students on Thursday.
“In the true Volunteer spirit, we want to do all we can to help our neighbors in a time of need,” UT-Knoxville Chancellor Loren Crabtree said.
Gov. Phil Bredesen announced last week state schools would accept transfer students from colleges and universities closed by the disaster. Those who already paid tuition at their former schools wouldn’t have to pay tuition at their new Tennessee school.
The University of Memphis has received the most of any Tennessee school with 227 students admitted by Thursday, followed by UT-Knoxville with 69.
Others receiving students were Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee State, UT-Chattanooga, UT-Martin, Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay, East Tennessee State and seven community colleges.
“We’ve received literally hundreds of inquiries over the past several days as the students and their families try to determine what their next steps should be,” said Richard Bayer, UT-Knoxville’s dean of enrollment services.
Students have come to the Volunteer State from 11 closed institutions along the coast, according to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. About half of them are Tennessee residents.
School officials spread the word through various student and school associations.
“We saw it on the Internet,” said Nicole Graff, a senior in psychology, who was hoping to graduate in May from Loyola University in New Orleans.
Now, Graff is spending at least the fall semester at UT-Knoxville, which is about two hours away from several family members.