Area universities taking in students displaced by hurricane

Universities in the Inland Northwest are opening their doors to students displaced by the hurricane.

Gonzaga University will be taking in 15 to 20 students who were going to attend another Jesuit institution, Loyola in New Orleans. Julie McCulloh, dean of admission for GU, said Gonzaga had inquiries from about 40 Loyola students and a couple from Tulane who are trying to figure out what to do in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Universities and colleges throughout coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama remain closed; schools in neighboring states are taking on hundreds of displaced students and trying to make it possible for them to have a fall semester.

McCulloh said Loyola hasn’t canceled fall semester yet, but she expects it to.

The University of Idaho announced Thursday that it would accept as many displaced students as it could, giving priority to Idaho residents. The school, which started classes last Monday, also said it is offering 10 scholarships for tuition, fees and housing for students displaced by Katrina.

Washington State University spokesman James Tinney said the school has heard from a small handful of students regarding access to WSU, but hasn’t “adopted any kind of policy on it.”

– From staff and wire reports