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Hurricane Dorian: Hampton University offers free semester to displaced Bahamian students

Students at University of Bahamas displaced by Hurricane Dorian were offered free tuition, room and board at Hampton University in Virginia.

HAMPTON, Va. — Hampton University announced Thursday it will offer free enrollment, room and board to students attending the University of Bahamas who have been displaced by Hurricane Dorian.

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"I think this agreement is something that can be helpful to a great number of students and families and is part of something I've tried to do my entire career -- helping people to achieve and meet their goals," Hampton University President William R. Harvey said in a statement.

Students will be allowed to attend classes at Hampton for 2019's fall semester and receive free room and board, WTVR reported. Students will have the option to remain at the Virginia school when the semester ends at regular tuition rates, the television station reported.

Lawrence Rigby, who graduated from Hampton in 2015 and is from Nassau in the Bahamas, said in a statement he was pleased to see his alma mater reach out to his native country.

"Hampton has been the educational choice for many Bahamians over its long history. I am grateful to President Harvey and university leadership on this demonstration of kindness and humanity to my home in our time of need," said Rigby, who was the 2014-2015 Student Government Association President. "Young Bahamians from Abaco and Grand Bahama who are looking for the tools to rebuild their lives and our home will find them at Hampton."