Cornell University administrators and staff are getting ready to welcome members of the Tulane community to campus. As many as 75 students are expected to spend the Labor Day weekend making their way to Ithaca and to arrive on Tuesday, Sept. 6. The phones in the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions are continuing to ring.

On Sept. 1 Cornell President Hunter R. Rawlings said the university will open its doors to Tulane students and faculty, displaced when their university was closed due to devastating damage sustained from Hurricane Katrina.

Administrators met on Friday to work out the details of processing the Tulane students as they arrive in Ithaca. A few questions remain, but Glenn Altschuler, the school's dean, said Cornell is committed to making every accommodation possible to displaced students and faculty.

"We're delighted that people are hearing about it and are applying," he said. To make the transition as smooth as possible, he added, students should arrive in time to start classes on Sept. 12 and bring all available academic records, tuition details and medical records.

All requests for financial aid are welcome, Altschuler said. Once here, students will have all the rights and privileges of Cornell students, including library access, Cornell IDs and health care.

Meanwhile, the administration is working hard to secure housing for all students and faculty. Dozens of community members have called offering housing, and some campus sororities and fraternities have space available as well. "You get here, and we will do everything in our power to accommodate you," Altschuler said.

In the basement of Day Hall, staff members like administrative assistant Janice Miles have been pulled away from their daily tasks to handle the phones. "We've been telling them, 'You get here, and we'll work it all out.' They've been through enough," she said.

Close by, assistant registrar Lisa Schutt spent most of Friday fielding calls from Tulane students and parents. By afternoon, she was a little frazzled -- but no less eager to help.

"You can tell that it sounded like they lost everything. You get people that were there and they have nothing. It's all very overwhelming."

At 3 p.m. Schutt glances at the sandwich sitting uneaten on her desk. She bought it at noon.

For a moment, she considers it. Then the phone rings again.