Ball State University opened its doors at no cost to five undergraduate students after they were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, university administrators said.
Tom Taylor, vice president of marketing, communications and enrollment management, said he sent out e-mails Tuesday to several academic deans emphasizing that the university would waive tuition for undergraduate and graduate students. The waiver will apply to students who already have paid fall semester tuition at their home institutions.
The e-mails came after some confusion about a press release sent out Friday that said the university would handle students’ financial arrangements on a case-by-case basis.
“This wasn’t a change,” Taylor said Wednesday. “This was just a clarification. But [the tuition waivers were] in place by the end of last week.”
The five students attended universities in Louisiana including Tulane University, Loyola University and the University of New Orleans, Taylor said. Several colleges and universities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama cancelled or postponed the start of the school year because of on-going recovery efforts.
Taylor does not expect many more students to enroll before next week and said he is not sure when the five students began or will begin classes.
“I think this is probably it,” Taylor said. “There are two students we have had some contact with who may not end up coming here, but my guess is that students have decided for the most part what they are going to do at this stage.”
Incoming students also have been offered the opportunity to live in university housing with financial assistance. Their only costs for fall semester include books and course-related fees, as well as room and board if they choose to stay on campus.
“We would be looking at them in terms of financial aid eligibility and then we would be seeing what we can do for them,” Taylor said.At least two of the incoming students — both of whom are Indiana residents who attended universities along the Gulf Coast — are planning to live on campus this semester, Alan Hargrave, director of Housing and Residence Life, said.
“We have spaces in a variety of buildings, so they will be mixed with other Ball State students,” Hargrave said.
Unlike some other universities, Ball State will not require the students to pay university fees such as technology, student activity and health fees, Taylor said. Students probably won’t be required to take 12 credit hours in order to live on campus, Hargrave said.
“I doubt that we would make that a requirement,” Hargrave said. “I don’t imagine we would not be able to treat people individually regarding that.”
Taylor said the tuition waivers mean that university officials and faculty will actually be serving incoming students “for free,” but it won’t have a huge financial effect on the university.
“Compared to 20,000 students, no; [five] students is not a huge cost,” Taylor said. “It’s hard to say it won’t have an impact. We’re providing services for these students, but again, it’s not about the cost.”
Robert Pritchard, assistant professor of journalism, compiled and sent out a list of schools across the nation Tuesday that are offering immediate assistance to students who were affected by the hurricane. Although the list focuses on public relations students, it is not discipline-specific and applies to all majors, Pritchard said.
“I’m proud of the leadership position that Ball State took on,” Pritchard said. “We’re on the list with some of the best schools in the country.”
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