MUW back in business; classes will resume Monday

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Mississippi University for Women is back in business. Power has been completely restored to campus and officials announced this morning that classes would resume on Monday.

Residence halls will open at 1 p.m. on Sunday, and information about classes will be posted on flyers and the university website at www.muw.edu before students arrive on Sunday.

"The vast majority of classes will be held in the same locations," said Dr. Vagn Hansen, MUW provost and vice president for academic affairs. "We've lost all classroom space in the Pohl Physical Education Assembly Building and the Fine Arts Building."

Hansen said fall semester exams would begin and end on the regular schedule.

On Sunday, Nov. 10, a tornado ripped through campus and parts of Columbus, destroying two buildings and damaging numerous others on The W campus.

Since that time scores of volunteers, including personnel from Columbus Air Air Force Base, Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi and many more have helped the cleanup effort swiftly progress.

"So much has been done in such a short time," said MUW President Claudia Limbert. "There were volunteers who came through and we may never know who they were."

Gov. Ronnie Musgrove sent in more than 30 National Guard troops to secure the campus. Musgrove expanded the current special session of the Legislature to address the damage at The W. The Legislature responded quickly by passing a bill to allow more than $10 million in bonding authority to be coupled with federal funds for disaster relief.

"We are appreciative of the governor and the Legislature for their strong support for The W," Dr. Limbert said.

A community wide cleanup day was held today and will continue tomorrow. About 100 individual volunteers participated on Thursday.

Nora Miller, vice president for finance and administration, said, "They have been fantastic. It's just been unbelievable what everybody has done."

Individuals who want to lend a helping hand on Friday should report to the front porch of Whitfield Hall at 8 a.m. Volunteers should bring work gloves, rakes and brooms and park at the Central United Methodist Church or Gunter & Peel Funeral Home. Cleanup will end at 5 p.m.

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