From President Mike Fitts to Roe v. Wade, here are the top stories the Tulane Hullabaloo covered this summer. 

1. Tulane University ended surveillance COVID-19 testing, off-campus isolation policies

The school announced this summer that on-campus students who test positive for COVID-19 will be isolated in their residence halls and testing is only required for symptomatic individuals or those exposed to the virus. 

Students who tested positive will complete courses remotely for five days, then may leave their residence halls and should wear a KN95 mask through the 10th day following a positive test. Close contacts who are fully vaccinated or have tested positive within 90 days of exposure are not required to quarantine if they remain symptom-free. The school recommends that close contacts receive a COVID-19 test five days after exposure. 

2. Louisiana’s abortion ban was blocked and reinstated three times

Abortion is currently illegal in Louisiana after a back-and-forth legal battle this summer that left the state’s so-called “trigger” law blocked and reinstated three times. 

The state’s law bans abortion except in cases where a pregnant woman’s life is at risk. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. 

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit argued the state’s ban is too vague to follow. The state recently released a list of “medically futile” pregnancies that are exempt from the ban. 

Abortion will remain illegal as plaintiffs argue against the law in court. 

3. President Mike Fitts will lead Tulane University through at least 2026

The school’s board announced their unanimous vote to extend President Mike Fitts’ tenure this summer. 

In a university-wide email, Carol Lavin Bernick, the board’s chair, said Fitts’ eight-year-legacy of success motivated the decision. She cited a 50 percent increase in sponsored research awards, a doubled endowment and physical upgrades to campuses in Downtown and Uptown New Orleans. 

Fitts joined Tulane in 2014. 

“It has been an amazing eight years and we can’t wait to see what President Fitts has in store for the future,” Bernick said. 

4. Tulane names new dean of admission

Shawn Abbott was named Tulane University’s new vice president for enrollment management and dean of admission, the school announced. 

Abbott will join Tulane on Sept. 6. He fills the role left by former dean of admission Satyajit Dattagupta, who announced in January he would accept a role at Northeastern University. 

Abbott has held leadership roles in admissions at NYU, Stanford and Columbia, among other universities. He is currently vice provost for admissions, financial aid and enrollment management at Temple University.

5. Marcus Foster named new Chief Title IX Officer

Tulane University named Marcus Foster, a Tulane University Law School graduate, chief Title IX officer, the school announced. 

Foster will lead response to Title IX complaints like sexual assault and domestic violence. 

Foster previously served as Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Diversity and Equity at State University of New York. He started the new role on July 1. 

“Of all the many stellar applicants, Marcus quickly became the committee’s first and favorite choice,” President Mike Fitts and Provost Robin Forman said in an email announcement. “We share the committee’s excitement in bringing him back home to assume this vital role.”