Dear Commons Community,

The NY Times is reporting that the tornadoes over the past several days in the South have forced the closing of Shaw University, one of the oldest historically black colleges in the country.   Officials decided to close Shaw indefinitely.  The university, a private Baptist institution, was founded in 1865.   Commentators praised Shaw’s president, Irma McClaurin, for quick decision-making and expressed confidence that the university would survive.

Some students cheered the early vacation. But the news prompted more anxiety for others. Some seniors were upset that they would not have the opportunity to improve their grade point averages with final exams and projects.  But anxiety began to subside by Monday afternoon as professors began responding to e-mail, and the university said it was putting together a Web site to help students contact instructors.

Shaw officials were still assessing the damage Monday, and it remained unclear when classes would resume.

Tony