HURRICANE DENNIS CAUSES LITTLE DAMAGE ON CAMPUS

Students were greeted by high winds and rain on the first full day of classes Monday, but Hurricane Dennis caused little damage on campus other than broken tree limbs and some water in a couple of buildings.

Tim Peele, facilities engineer with the facilities management department, reported that only two trees -- one near the Health and Physical Education Building and the other near the Human Resources Department -- had been damaged to the point that they would have to be cut down.

"We've been really fortunate so far. There's been very little damage," he said. With the hurricane stalled 165 miles east of Cape Hatteras as of 8 a.m., however, weather forecasters are uncertain what it will do next. One reported possibility is that it could move back toward the coast.

"If it turns around, we'll be prepared," Peele said. "The university's Emergency Preparedness Committee has met several times, so we'll be ready."