Law student Oliver Miller was working with other students on publishing a magazine in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina destroyed their work. Now he is taking classes at GW’s Law School and has decided to publish the magazine in the District, but with a different focus.

“It’s a magazine with sad and funny hurricane stuff now,” said Miller, a former Loyola University-New Orleans student. Miller said he kept a journal while he was stuck in New Orleans throughout Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the Gulf Coast in August, until he was forced to evacuate. He said that once his publication is distributed on campus, he wants students to read it and submit articles.

Miller, who earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing at GW, said he is adjusting to D.C. pretty easily.

“I think it’s interesting because we were creating this dumb magazine and were wondering if anyone was going to read it, and then the hurricane destroyed everything, and now it has some weird meaning,” he said. “My life has more interest, briefly.”

Miller is one of the 82 graduate and undergraduate students who are enrolled as non-degree students for the semester, mostly from Tulane University. While GW offered displaced students a place to study this semester, it was unable to provide housing for undergraduates and had limited spaces for students to get into classes they needed.

“I’ve adjusted to all of my classes, but it’s kind of hard not living in a dorm because that’s where you meet people,” said Jason Hellinger, a freshman who planned to enter Tulane University in the fall but ended up starting his college career at GW.

“I wasn’t able to get into all of the classes I wanted to, but I didn’t get into all my classes at Tulane either,” he said. “I’m lucky I’m taking a full load of classes at all because I registered late here.”

Though grateful for the opportunity to take classes at all this semester, Hellinger said GW did not help him transition well into his new environment.

“They didn’t tell me what classes to register for, that I had to take a Spanish placement test or where to find housing because I don’t know the D.C. area,” he said. “I don’t necessarily blame the school, but we were really on our own.”

Other displaced students said that making the transition from New Orleans to D.C. was not difficult and that they are enjoying their semester in the District.

“My father is a career Air Force officer, and as a result I’ve moved 13 times over the last 21 years, so this latest move was not particularly traumatic or difficult,” said Nick Dubaz, a senior from Tulane University who evacuated New Orleans three days before Hurricane Katrina hit. “I look at my time here at GW as a semester abroad in one of the greatest cities in the world.”

Dubaz said that despite moving to D.C. after the semester had already begun, he and two other displaced Tulane students were able to find an apartment at 22nd and L streets where they were able to get a flexible lease. He said he plans to return to New Orleans and start taking classes again next semester.

“Most importantly, GW offered a place for me to study for the semester. I expect nothing more,” Dubaz said.

Tulane announced last month that it that will reopen for the spring 2006 semester, and classes will begin on the originally planned date, Jan. 17. Craig Linebaugh, GW associate vice president for academic planning and special projects, said the University expects students who have enrolled for non-degree credits to only remain at GW for this semester.

Amy Plavner, a freshman who was moving into her dorm at Tulane the same day she was told to evacuate the campus, said she is unsure whether she will return to Tulane next semester or transfer to another school. Plavner is living in a quad in Thurston Hall, as the University was able to place her in GW housing.

“I am really not sure what I want to do at this point,” she said. “All of my stuff is still at Tulane, so I will have to return at some point and I think I will make my decision then.”

But other students from Tulane said that they are looking forward to returning to the familiarity of the New Orleans campus.

“It has been hard to adjust, but mainly I just try to stay busy,” said Laura Gaige, a Tulane senior. “I wasn’t expecting my senior year to feel like a freshman again without really knowing anyone and wandering around lost half of the time.”