The Wolf Magazine

Issue date: 3/13/09 Section: Opinion

Dear readers:

At the time, dorm décor, Swamp Stomp and my recent discovery of things called "bars" seemed infinitely more important. That's why when I received that harried phone call from my mom - "Lauren, come home now. We're evacuating" - I packed a small fraction of my underwear supply and about two changes of clothing. I figured based on previous evacuations that after a longer-than-usual road trip to Baton Rouge and a stop or two at Cracker Barrel, I'd be right back in Buddig.

But that evacuation trip ended up lasting four months. I found myself at Spring Hill College that semester as a "displaced" student, along with 79 other Loyola refugees. We were different than our counterparts in Mobile, Al. - we were a louder and more colorful crowd, seemingly with a higher propensity for chain-smoking, and we instantly bonded as outsiders.

As myself and the rest of my Class of Katrina get ready to graduate, I started thinking about the experiences we shared. Of course all Loyola students who were enrolled when Katrina hit dealt with many hardships. But as freshmen who hadn't even attended our first classes when this disaster sent us on a Diaspora across the country, we have a unique perspective.

To tell all of our stories would be an enormous task, but I was able to find two seniors whose stories were similar to a lot of ours: one was an eager out-of-state student, excited to begin her college career in a new city when the levees failed, the other a local New Orleanian who grappled with the loss of her home (read their stories on page 24). While different, both stories resonate with messages of resilience and hope.

In the same vein of Katrina stories, writer Tom Piazza ("Why New Orleans Matters," "City of Refuge") has been among the most eloquent messengers of post-Katrina New Orleans' pain and perseverance. We are thrilled to have him back for a teaching gig at Loyola (read the Q&A with him on page 14).

Also in this year's last issue of The Wolf: a closer look behind the latest controversy from economics professor Walter Block (page 22), a preview on Loyola's inaugural World Peace Conference (page 12) and an update on the in-house Crescent City Radio (page 21).

I hope you enjoyed The Wolf this year as much as we enjoyed creating it. Look out for coverage the rest of this semester on our Web site: thewolfmag.com

Sincerely,

Lauren Laborde

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