TBC: Describe your efforts since the hurricane to communicate with students and their parents about the re-opening.

Mr. Bell: At the beginning of the 2005 hurricane season, months before Hurricane Katrina, we initiated new procedures — toll-free telephone lines and an emergency website completely separate from Xavier's website, to be used only in case of an emergency. Beginning in June, with the onset of hurricane season, we sent reminders that the emergency lines were there. What it meant was that on the day of the hurricane and every day thereafter, we were able to provide daily updates for several weeks. Then, when we returned to the regular Xavier website in October, we began a series of newsletters with updates of conditions and photographs of the damage. We never lost communication.

Xavier is widely respected for it premed program? Were special steps taken to keep the program intact?

When premed students begin their freshman year, they have already spent a summer here. So those students were already with us. An overwhelming majority of them returned in January. We have no doubt that some students received overtures from other schools. G.W. Carmichael (director of the program) contacted every student in his database and learned that most of them had every intention of returning.

How many students, faculty and staff returned in January?  And how long will it be before you're back to your previous enrollment?

We're at 3,100 out of 4,100 students, and we've heard from other students who will be back in the fall. We're  aggressively recruiting for admission now. In 3 years should be back up to strength.  As for faculty, 154 returned out of 238, and we're adding part-timers because have more students than anticipated. We had 550 staff before; now we have 450.

How did you and your staff prepare for classes?

Everything was done online; students did drop-add and declarations of intent to return. A tremendous amount of repair work had to be undertaken especially on first floors. We brought in a contractor with 18 subcontractors, got rid of flood water, got rid of mold and mildew, replaced sheet rock. The cafeteria involved the complete removal of everything; all equipment had to be replaced, literally recreated from scratch. The cafeteria was approved for service the Friday students arrived.

Similarly, with classrooms and dorms, if it was on the first floor, it's all brand spanking new. The estimated cost is $35-40 million. After all federal aid and insurance, we will have to come up with $20 million on our own.

What are the plans for extracurricular activities, including athletics?

Intercollegiate athletics were suspended for this academic year, but we have intramural athletics. The student government is planning social activities, such as movie nights and dances.  We're also planning charter bus trips to malls and shopping centers in outlying areas. Services off-campus are still a major problem. There aren't many places to shop near the campus and the students miss that. We're hoping the city will see more activity and a resurgence of business.

What is the most common concern you have heard from students and parents?

We've been very encouraged by most of the comments; many of them are saying they thought it would be worse. There have been some concerns about not having places to shop and restaurants not being open in the city, and the problems with phone lines, which are still down. But the volume of complaints has been absolutely minimal.

Are there any concerns about safety and health issues?

Sure, there have been some concerns from parents about safety, but we let them know the campus police are here. We have expanded our patrolling because students have to park farther away from the campus because of contractors whose vehicles are parked on campus.

We brought in environmental specialists to do soil testing and to make sure mold and mildew issues were addressed.

What are some of the issues related to grants and federal aid?

Regular grants were not affected at all. Some foundations and corporations gave us help to tide us over. FEMA has assured us we will get assistance, but the truth is we have not actually received dollars from FEMA. The way FEMA works, we have to go out and buy trailers, and we ultimately will get reimbursed. So we have bought trailers for faculty and staff. One parking lot is now a trailer park for faculty and some administrators and campus police.

Were there any students, faculty or staff who lost their lives during the hurricane or aftermath? If so, please tell us who they were?

There were persistent rumors that some Xavier students had died. That was not true. There was a widely publicized rescue. The rescue was arranged by President Norman Francis and the president of Grambling University (Dr. Horace Judson). They arranged to have eight buses, and Rep. Cleo Fields and Rev. Jesse Jackson arranged for three more buses. Everyone who had been stranded was successfully evacuated.

Have you had any major problems with insurers?

We're still working with insurance companies on claims we have filed. No major issues, just what we would expect.

What are your plans for recruiting students for next year's freshman class?

We're doing the same aggressive recruiting that we have always done.

Do you feel that anything positive resulted from the disaster?

Things that needed fixing for years were repaired. We have started thinking smarter about where we store critical equipment, and about operating leaner and more efficiently.

On another level, students now have a remarkable opportunity to be part of New Orleans' renaissance and rebuilding through community service. The city has become a living, breathing laboratory needing a new generation of pioneers to replace all the people who have abandoned ship.

*Photos by Irving Johnson III / Xavier University of LA