Save Tulane Engineering

[wckirby]

I was very pleased at the rally today. There were at least 200 dedicated people, plus around the same number that floated in and out.

The rally was definitely vocal. A good chunk of the rally was spent marching around Gibson Hall yelling various slogans like "One Voice" and "We Care, You'll (or Y'all, I couldn't quite tell) See." We were so loud, I noticed people openning windows to see what the commotion was. Also, a couple of people came over from Loyola to see what all the racket was about.

Some of the Board members poked their head out of Gibson Hall and seemed pleased with the rally. They seemed pleased that we were standing up for ourselves.

Early in the protest, I saw someone in Cowen's office peaking around a corner to look at the protest. I thought it was Cowen, but I can't be sure. He was litterally hiding in the corner and trying to sneak a peak without anyone noticing him. It was a big person, but I didn't get a good look, so I can't be sure. Later in the rally, the student workers hung out in his office and cheered us on. Cowen's office is a corner office, so of course they wanted the best view.

Once again, the Newcomb alumni showed up and were very dedicated. They're also supportive of the engineering cause. I talked with two of them and they believe the Newcomb cuts are just a blatant attempt to swallow their endowment and they're puzzled by the engineering cuts.

One thing that was made clear by someone close to the administration was nobody expected this sort of backlash. They expected people to see Katrina, feel remorse, but understand and accept the Renewal Plan. It's clear that not only is that not happenning, but the opposition is gaining momentum.
_________________
Clay Kirby
11th generation New Orleanian
4th generation Tulanian
Mechanical Engineering Class of '06

[wckirby]

One other thing: the whole thing was a unified rally and it was mostly Newcomb people, but engineering was well represented. Everyone seemed to think that axing engineering right now (given the state of the city and how America needs engineers) was stupid.

I passed out a few "Dump Cowen Not Engineering" and "Dump Cowen Not Newcomb" signs. Everybody loved them. We should print them up and sell them as a fundraiser.
_________________
Clay Kirby
11th generation New Orleanian
4th generation Tulanian
Mechanical Engineering Class of '06

[wwalkeri]

We need to get the word out about ENGR finances. We need people to know that ENGR was not losing much if any money for the school. Although supportive, many of the Newcomb ladies I spoke with still believed that ENGR was some sort of a large financial drain on the University.

We also need to contemplate several outcomes:

If they decide not to Axe Newcomb, what happens to our momentum? It would be like pulling the rug out from under us.

Lets say we can't save the SoE. We should develop a plan that allows the cut departments to be reinstated immediately in the new school of science and engineering. This would have many benefits and enable all engineering departments to work closer with the sciences. Furthermore it would provide the basis to form a robust ENGR platform that would allow for other more specialized forms of engineering such as industrial and nuclear. TULANE CANNOT AFFORD TO LET UNO OR LOYOLA EXPAND IN THIS AREA.

William Walker
Mechanical Engineering
School of Engineering
Tulane University Class of 2007

[Lee Hoffman]

The Times-Pic, for whatever reason, failed to cover the rally, however, the Advocate did. See for yourself at:
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/2313601.html

Lee