Zach Stanfill, the Dillard University freshman who took up temporary residence at Duke after Hurricane Katrina devastated his New Orleans campus in late August, will stay one more semester, members of the administration confirmed Thursday night.
The decision is a notable exception to a policy confirmed by administrators Dec. 8, which stated that displaced freshmen would not be allowed to stay for the spring semester.
"I think it's important that we make this very transparent, because we believe that we do have the right policy," said Robert Thompson, dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and vice provost for undergraduate education. "We see ourselves as supporting his return to Dillard."
Administrators said they still stand by their original decision, which was supposed to encourage displaced students to return to their home schools, said Provost Peter Lange.
"I really have to stress that [Stanfill's] personal circumstances were different and substantially more difficult than the other students'," Lange added.
Although other students made similar requests in the final weeks of the fall semester, Thompson said Stanfill's case was particularly pressing.
"Zach and his brother just shared with me what the family situation was-that their home was completely inundated with water," Thompson said. "There was nobody else in his situation."
Thompson said he was particularly taken by the pictures Stanfill took of his Ninth Ward house, which was filled with more than 11 feet of water after Katrina struck in late August.
Thompson brought Stanfill's proposal to other administrators, who decided at the end of the fall semester that an exception could be made in his case.
"It seemed to be a very reasonable request, one that we could do," Thompson said. "I'm really pleased we could do that for him."
When the hurricane pushed through the Ninth Ward, Stanfill's family relocated to Baton Rouge. Returning to Dillard this semester would put a heavy toll on Stanfill's family, which would either have to pay for the Baton Rouge-New Orleans commute or for the increasingly expensive on-campus housing at Dillard.
Thompson described both options as "infeasible" in Stanfill's case, and other members of the administration agreed.
"Prices were sky-rocketing. I didn't have a ride back and forth from Baton Rouge," Stanfill said. "I am very, very grateful. It was a big burden off my parents' shoulders. I'm just really appreciative to be here."
Stanfill said the additional semester will allow him and his family to return to some semblance of normalcy. He currently plans to return to Dillard next fall.
"Other students were displaced from their schools, but I was displaced from my life," Stanfill said. "Everything happens for a reason... I thank God every day for it."
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