RALEIGH, N.C. — Officials at Shaw University decided this week to end the semester early after a storm damaged buildings and displaced students on April 16.
No injuries were reported, school officials say.
Students will be graded on work completed through April 17, university president Irma McClaurin said in a message to the university community. Just over two weeks remained, including final exams, for the spring semester.
The school’s commencement is still to be held May 7 at the Dorton Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
The storm was responsible for billions of dollars worth of damage across several states, as well as the deaths of nearly four dozen people.
Several Shaw dormitories suffered damage, leaving them unlivable. Heath Walker, an intern in the school’s sports information and public affairs office, says tree limbs were strewn about the 30-acre campus when he reported for work on Monday. The likened the empty campus to a ghost town.
Officials describe the Willie E. Gary Student Center, which houses the school’s cafeteria, as “devastated.” Windows were blown out from high winds, and part of the roof was gone.
