NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Black colleges in New Orleans are seeing students return to school in unexpected numbers, the Washington Post reports.
Dillard University, just a quarter of a mile from one of the canal breaches that flooded the city during Hurricane Katrina, suffered severe water damage to nearly all of its buildings, and then lost three dormitories to fire.
Still, Dillard has reopened for the spring semester in an alternate location, and students are responding. Marvalene Hughes, the university's president, expected only about a quarter of the pre-Katrina student body of 2,155 this semester, but half said they would come back.
"We were surprised. You might say shocked," said Hughes.
Other area universities are having a similar experience. Xavier University expected half its 4,100 students would return this semester, but 3,110 came back. Tulane University expected three-quarters of its 12,500 students and got 88 percent. Loyola University's current enrollment of 4,436 is 81 percent of its pre-Katrina total.
By comparison, officials estimate less than one-third of New Orleans's former residents are living in the city.
