The 27 colleges and universities hardest hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita face physical losses of around $1.4-billion, plus millions more in lost tuition revenue and salaries for a washed-out semester, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities estimated on Monday.
Cynthia A. Littlefield, the association’s director of federal relations, cautioned that the estimates were preliminary and likely to change. But they give an idea of the staggering economic toll that the 12 institutions in Louisiana, 14 in Mississippi, and one in Alabama face as they prepare for the second semester. Texas institutions that were battered by Rita were not included in the association’s analysis because those figures were not available last week.
The association compiled the figures, which include all of the affected higher-education institutions, not just Jesuit ones, to help persuade Congress to allocate more money to colleges and universities devastated by the hurricanes. Congress is considering a spending bill that would provide additional hurricane relief to the Gulf Coast region. The association is working with the United Negro College Fund and a variety of other higher-education groups.
The $1.4-billion estimate for damage to buildings and other structures does not take into account how much might be covered by insurance because most colleges and universities are still waiting to find that out.
Private colleges are in a particular bind, since they are ineligible for physical-disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Ms. Littlefield, who previously worked for the agency’s Congressional-affairs office.
One of the biggest problems facing the colleges now is finding housing for faculty and staff members. “Many of their homes were completely destroyed,” she said. For students who live off campus, “there is less housing available, and we’re hearing that landlords are raising rents.”
Ms. Littlefield called the government-relations heads at each of the affected institutions last week to get updated figures. She decided to expand the survey to include all of the colleges in the region, including her alma mater, Loyola University New Orleans.
“You can’t just help one or two institutions -- you have to get all of the institutions along the Gulf Coast functioning,” she said. “The sooner we can do that, the sooner we can rebuild.”
Colleges and universities that were forced to shut down for most of the first semester reported losing a total of about $181-million in tuition refunds for the first semester. They also reported about $300-million in research losses, two-thirds of which was at Tulane University. That figure includes not only physical damage, but lost research revenue for the first semester.
In addition, colleges that were forced to temporarily close paid out around $400-million in salaries and benefits to faculty and staff members for the first semester.
The associations that are lobbying for more federal aid also requested $295-million in incentives to ensure that faculty and staff members return to the closed campuses, as well as $368-million to entice students back. Specifically, they want to grant 29,516 employees up to $10,000 each, and up to 35,000 students $10,500 each.
The Cost of Katrina and Rita |
Louisiana |
Delgado Community College * | $132,116,576 |
| $282,000,000 |
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center | $182,800,000 |
Louisiana Technical College * | $18,188,750 |
Loyola University New Orleans * | $4,000,000 |
| $32,934,347 |
Our Lady of Holy Cross College * | $2,750,000 |
Southern University at New Orleans * | $350,000,000 |
Sowela Technical Community College * | $20,000,000 |
| $125,000,000 |
University of New Orleans * | $103,620,000 |
Xavier University of Louisiana * | $30,000,000 |
Mississippi |
Alcorn State University | $3,000,000 |
Copiah-Lincoln Community College | $100,000 |
East Central Community College | $665,000 |
East Mississippi Community College | $74,800 |
Hinds Community College | $300,000 |
Jackson State University | $1,200,000 |
Jones Community College | $2,000,000 |
Meridian Community College | $232,775 |
Mississippi Delta Community College | $20,020 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | $15,000,000 |
Pearl River Community College | $50,000,000 |
Southwest Mississippi Community College | $108,500 |
Tougaloo College | $2,000,000 |
| $12,800,000 |
Alabama |
Spring Hill College | $1,000,000 |
|
TOTAL | $1,371,910,768 |
|
SOURCE: the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities |
Background articles from The Chronicle: