Va. University to Dorian's Student Victims: Come on In

Hampton University is offering free tuition to Bahamas students displaced by hurricane
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 8, 2019 7:18 AM CDT
Virginia College Opens Doors to Students Displaced by Dorian
View of Hampton University from Settlers Landing Road on Friday, July 26, 2019 in Hampton, Va.   (Rob Ostermaier/The Daily Press via AP)

One silver lining has emerged in the wake of Hurricane Dorian's destruction in the Bahamas: Two university presidents—friends and former colleagues—have arranged for students at the devastated University of the Bahamas to attend Hampton University in Virginia tuition-free for a semester. As the New York Times reports, William Harvey of Hampton called Rodney Smith of the University of the Bahamas to see how his friend had weathered the storm. And while Smith and his family were fine, his school was not. The next morning came Harvey's offer: Free room, board, and tuition for any of Smith's students for a semester, and the opportunity to stay on at regular rates after.

That adds up to $20,000 per student, and the Times notes that 22 had sounded interested within a day of the announcement. "Hampton has been the educational choice for many Bahamians over its long history," a Bahamas native and recent Hampton grad tells CNN, and he welcomes "this demonstration of kindness and humanity to my home in our time of need." (More Hurricane Dorian stories.)

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