The University provided a shelter during the hurricane for students, faculty, staff and their immediate families in the Cotillion Ballroom area of the Student Union beginning Aug. 28 and ending Sept. 1. Students did plenty of things to keep busy, according to Eugene Dial, vice president of student affairs and enrollment services.

“There were students who had their own video games; some students studied, played cards, checkers, Scrabble,” Dial said.

Brenda Haskins, executive director for auxiliary services, said the residence halls are not geared for storms.

“It’s very dangerous in the residence halls (during a storm),” Haskins said. “It’s better to bring students to a central area.”

Natalie Robinson, dietetics sophomore from Canada, was one of the more than 150 students and 50 staff members who stayed in the shelter.

“I was there with the whole golf team,” Robinson said. “We played cards, and I slept a lot.”

Robinson expected to be a little more informed of what was going on with the hurricane.

“It was kind of upsetting because we were almost shut out from the world,” Robinson said. “I really didn’t know the damage from the hurricane and what actually happened until I left.”

Sodexho provided food free of charge to those students with a meal plan.

Faculty, staff and their families were charged for food, Dial said.

“The food was okay,” Robinson said. “They couldn’t do much because there was no power, but they did well with what they had.”

Those who stayed in the shelter caused no problems, according to Haskins and Dial.

“The students were excellent campers,” Haskins said. “They were well-behaved and very concerned with what was going on.”

According to Dial, maintenance provided a generator.

There was no air conditioning, but the lights remained operational.

Haskins said that Wednesday evening the generator went out two or three times in a row.

According to Dial, staffs from the residence halls, student life, student union, auxiliary services and maintenance personnel stayed to help with the shelter.

“Thank you to Sodexho, custodial workers and everyone else who stayed to help the students instead of leaving with their families,” Aimee Miller, English secondary education sophomore from Dayton, Texas, who stayed in the shelter, said.