Both Loyola and Tulane University have been neighbors for years– 96 years to be exact. Sure, the two have apparent differences, but the supposed rivalry and competitiveness among the schools seems to be stigmatized by nothing more than hearsay.
When asked about the rivalry between Loyola and Tulane, Rudy Rihner, English freshman, along with Andrew Landry, jazz studies freshman, and Evan Cvitanovic, music industry freshman, said some Tulane students flash a “pompous attitude” but for the most part they don’t feel any significant rivalry. Landry noted that Loyola and Tulane students usually work together for a common good.
“Our band is actually playing in a show at Tulane this Friday,” Landry said.
When also asked about the rivalry between Loyola and Tulane, students from Tulane, Reed Wendorf, international studies sophomore, and Stephen Denis, finance freshman, simultaneously said, “I don’t think there is any rivalry.”
Wendorf and Denis along with other Tulane students said they decided to attend Tulane based on the advertisement and recruitment efforts of the school.
“Back home I never heard of Loyola,” Wendorf said. “I applied to Tulane and got offered a good scholarship, Tulane gives good scholarships.”
Some neighbors borrow cups of sugar; Loyola and Tulane, however, take advantage of their close proximity and trade venues such as libraries and eateries. It is apparent to most students that Loyola has the upper hand when it comes to its main library, the J. Edgar & Louis Monroe Library, and Tulane dominates in the food area.
Where to study:
Tulane’s Howard-Tilton Memorial Library may be voluminous with a variety of books, but it is no secret that the four-story building is somewhat outdated with stiff chairs and desks, a flat color pallet and limited computers. Students from many other schools, including Tulane, utilize Loyola’s Monroe Library. With its posh décor and ample computers the Monroe Library is almost a social scene on the first floor. The second and third floors, however, provide a more quiet space for students wishing to be isolated.
Where to eat:
It’s not uncommon to see a fellow Loyola student while getting lunch at Tulane’s Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life, commonly referred to as the LBC.
Loyola Wolfbucks and Tulane Wavebucks, which are prepaid meal cards, can be interchangeably used at all eateries on both campuses, which makes eating on Tulane’s campus even more popular for Loyola students. The LBC houses establishments such as Taco Bell, Quizno’s Subs, Energy Zone, Sushi Nori, WOW Café & Wingery and Byblos.
“The food is better on Tulane’s campus for sure,” Chanel Guada, mass communication sophomore, said.
So while the word on the street may be that Loyola and Tulane are rivals, students think otherwise. At the end of the day they share many things: libraries, cafeterias, classrooms via cross-enrollment and of course the love of the sidewalk chalk advertisement.
Rita West can be reached at [email protected].
