Charlotte Westapher has lived in England since she was 13 and was planning to study abroad at Tulane this fall.

After New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, her plans changed.

“About a week and a half after Katrina, I was told I could either go to UGA or take a year off,” Westapher said.

As an American Studies major at the University of Sussex in England, Westapher said she chose to study in the South, because it is a warm and fascinating place. “The coolest thing here has been the Athens music scene,” she said.

Westapher will return to Tulane next semester.

She said she is looking forward to being in New Orleans, because she thinks it will be interesting to experience the rebuilding of the city first-hand.

Sixty-nine students were admitted to the University following Hurricane Katrina.

Some transfer students decided to continue attending the University.

Shane Vaiskauskas, a sophomore from Hampton, said he was overwhelmed by the amount of “Southern

hospitality” he received after being displaced from Tulane, and decided to stay in Athens for several reasons.

“It’s closer to home, and I have a lot of friends here from high school,” Vaiskauskas said. “I had only been at Tulane for a year, and I have as good of friends here as I did at Tulane.”

Even though Vaiskauskas is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at Tulane, this semester he has been staying at the Chi Psi fraternity house. “I had never lived in one before, so it has been a new experience,” he said.

Heather Post had to decide between attending the University or Tulane during her senior year of high school.

The sophomore from Roswell picked Tulane. However, after Katrina, she also transferred to the University.

“It was really cool just getting to know what it’s like to go here,” Post said.

Now at the end of the fall semester, Post is preparing to move back to New Orleans on Dec. 30.

“Everyone I know is going back,” she said. “My friends and I loved it there.”

Post said attending the University has been a completely different experience. “It’s been cool going to a school with a football team, especially since we’re SEC champions,” she said.

Though the University did not waive in-state tuition payments, Post was still able to receive the HOPE

scholarship. “Whatever money we spent this semester, Tulane is reimbursing us,” she said.

Post has been living in the East Campus Village with another Tulane student and two University students. She has an apartment waiting for her in New Orleans that has been repaired since the hurricane. “There was some mold damage and the roof leaked, but it’s all been fixed since then,” she said.

Post emphasized how supportive the University has been in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“They were really great to take us in so quickly, and the professors helped us to catch up,” she said. “Thanks UGA.”