Tulane's 'Orientation Deja Vu'

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Lee Marinelli opened her dorm room to find everything just as she left it last August.

Four-and-a-half months ago, the Hurricane Katrina evacuation canceled Tulane University's freshman orientation after just a few hours. But Thursday, the school finally came back to life.

Students moved in on a day called "Orientation Deja Vu," with familiar scenes more typical of late summer - parents carrying trunks and freshmen getting acquainted with neighbors and roommates. Some were greeted by President Scott Cowen, a man they had last seen in August wearing Bermuda shorts and delivering to the new class not his planned welcome speech but an evacuation notice.

The university says nearly 90 percent of Tulane's 6,700 undergraduates are returning, and more than 80 percent of freshmen - a significant accomplishment considering college officials initially wondered if they would break 60 percent.

It's also a big boost for the city of New Orleans, where Tulane is the largest private employer and returning students will amount to a noticeable population increase.