N.C. Central University opened its doors Thursday, Sept. 8 to KaShava Logan and Winteom Yohanes, two students relocated by Hurricane Katrina.

They are two of 185 evacuees admitted into UNC System universities whose tuition was waived for the fall semester.

Hurricane Katrina’s devastation displaced nearly 73,000 students from 15 Louisiana college campuses.

Logan, a chemistry junior, attended Xavier University of Louisiana.

She did not hear much news about Katrina until the storm reached the Gulf of Mexico.

She was at a grocery store when an employee told her that the latest news on Katrina was not good.

“He was telling us to grab supplies and find a way to leave the area as soon as possible, but at that time I didn’t believe him,” said Logan.

“I did not believe that Katrina would have [caused] that much damage to the area.”

When Logan returned to her dorm, she was notified that Xavier would be closing indefinitely. Students were urged to evacuate as soon as possible. Logan voluntarily evacuated to Houston with her friends.

Yohanes, an electrical engineering freshman, attended the University of New Orleans. He heard warnings about Katrina during his Saturday afternoon math class.

“A police officer interrupted the class and told us to evacuate the area,” said Yohanes.

But Yohanes was at work on the 18th floor of a local hotel while Katrina rolled over the Gulf Coast.

“I thought about it for a minute, but since [Hurricane] Ivan was not that bad, I decided to stay at the hotel,” said Yohanes.

NCCU’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions smoothed Logan’s and Yohanes’ transition into NCCU.

“At first, my mind was not with the students. Then, a few days later, I asked myself ‘what will these students do about their education,’” said LuAnn Edmonds-Harris, associate director of undergraduate admissions.

The Office of Undergrad-uate Admissions received phone calls from students from institutions such as Xavier, Dillard University, University of New Orleans and Loyola University in New Orleans.

Shortly after Katrina’s devastation, the UNC System Board mandated that North Carolina institutions enroll students displaced by Katrina, at any point in the semester.

Logan and Yohanes realize that they have some catching up to do, but feel that their warm welcome from NCCU has gotten them off to a great start.

“I appreciate everyone at NCCU who helped me out in this situation. I love the family-like atmosphere at NCCU,” said Logan.

Harris was pleased at how NCCU handled this transition.

“I would like to thank everyone at NCCU that has made this transition a successful and pleasant experience.

“This is a good humanitarian lesson, not just from NCCU, but [from] the state of North Carolina,” said Harris.

Logan and Yohanes both plan to finish their collegiate careers at NCCU.

The University expects about 10 more students affected by Hurricane Katrina to enroll at NCCU in January.