Federal Agency Stops Effort to Get Students to Return Katrina Aid

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has rescinded a much-criticized policy under which it was seeking the return of aid that it had disbursed to some college students in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including hundreds of students at Dillard University. In a news release and FAQ released this month, the agency said that students who resided in college dormitories at the time of the 2005 storms are eligible for aid “if they can demonstrate that they were housed in dormitories for the major portion of the school year,” and if they can show that they were “independent” students. About 900 students in all appear to qualify, according to the agency’s statistics as of late April. —Andrew Mytelka