Cassie LaJeunesse, Campus Carrier Deputy News Editor

According to a press release from the Berry department of Marketing and Communications, Berry is one of 10 Georgia colleges involved in a partnership to enroll temporarily displaced Puerto Rican students for a semester. 

The partnership between The Georgia Independent College Association (GICA) and The Association of Private Colleges and Universities of Puerto Rico (ACUP) hopes to avoid a delay in the studies of Puerto Rican students displaced by Hurricane Maria. The students will be enrolled at a Georgia college for one semester before returning to their home college in Puerto Rico. 

The tuition for the semester in Georgia will be paid to the students’ home institutions in Puerto Rico “to make payroll and make repairs.” 

Other colleges that have agreed to house students include Agnes Scott College, Brewton-Parker College, Covenant College, LaGrange College, Oglethorpe University, Toccoa Falls College, Truett McConnell University, Wesleyan College and Young Harris College. 

Carmen Cividanes-Lago, advisor to ACUP, was quoted in the press release as saying, “Hurricane Maria’s wrath has been life-changing and it has taken away many of our students’ income, jobs, and personal property, but it cannot take away their passion project: to continue studying. We are ever so grateful that our students have been offered help during this very difficult time and that they will be able to pursue education for a semester in Georgia. Thank you, Georgia!”