‘Things went downhill pretty quickly’: Students struggle with news of school’s closing
SOUTH EUCLID — Devetress Green came a long way from Georgia to study and run track at Notre Dame College. On Friday, the freshman was shaken by the news of the school closing.
“The school shutting down forces me to go back home and start over,” said Green, a biology major. “I’ve made a lot of friends and connections with teachers. I’m going to miss them.”
The school, a South Euclid institution for more than 100 years, announced Thurs- day that it will close at the end of the spring semester because of rising costs and shrinking enrollments. The college has also worked out agreements so that students can finish their education at nine other colleges and universities.
But for students like Green, of Bainbridge, Geor- gia, the news has been unset- tling. The closing hit the campus of 1,400 just days before the school’s spring break begins this weekend. Many were still strug- gling to decide what will happen next in their aca- demic careers.
Anthony Epps, a senior, is majoring in sports manage- ment. He said he is looking at whether other schools will match his credits. But he is more worried about tuition.
“I’m still in the hole because I have to pay these guys,” Epps said. “I’ve been looking into Cleveland State University or Kent State.”
The two schools are part of the nine that have worked out agreements so that Notre Dame students can finish their educations. The oth- ers are Baldwin Wallace University; Hiram College; John Carroll University; Lake Erie College; Ursuline College; Walsh University; and Mer- cyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania.
“We mourn the loss of our sister institution and are committed to assisting its students during this chal- lenging time,” said Sister Christine De Vinne, the president of Ursuline College.
John Carroll has promised automatic admissions for qualifying students and no credits lost. It also promised that students would pay the exact same amount in tui- tion and fees at John Carroll as they have at Notre Dame.
Students with more than 60 completed credit hours, which is roughly two years’ worth of classes, will be eli- gible for a program that lets them finish their current programs. Those students will get guaranteed admission to the colleges and universities that are partnering with Notre Dame.
In the program, all of the credits earned at Notre Dame would transfer. The students also would be able to finish in the same number of semesters as they would have at Notre Dame, according to the college. They would also face a comparable tuition cost at the new school.
Tuition and fees cost students at Notre Dame about $48,600, though most students pay about half of that after scholarships and grants, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
For students, the future remains unclear.
Riccardo De Stefani is a foreign student from Treviso, Italy, who graduated with his bachelor’s degree last spring. He was planning to get his MBA at the college.
“It’s kind of sad,” De Stefani said. “Things went downhill pretty quickly.”
De Stefani said he has not figured out his next move. De Stefani is a member of the school’s rugby team. He is concerned about his playing future.
“I wish they would have told us earlier because other teams may not have spots for us,” said De Stefani.
Green and Epps said they will miss the school and its people. Epps’ favorite part about being a student at the college was the relationship with faculty members.
“Even though it’s a small school, that is what makes it so great,” Epps said. “Teachers can help you more. You get more one-on-one time with them, and it really helps you grasp the work.”