On the same day Erianna Murray signed her National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at St. Gregory’s University was the same day she found out the university would be closing in December.
St. Gregory’s was denied a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which forced the board of directors to suspend classes following the fall semester. The town of Shawnee where St. Gregory’s is located, de-annexed from Shawnee in January to fit the requirement for the $12.5 million load but they were denied as they were stated to need to be in a rural area. St. Gregory’s has been struggling financially for years, being a small liberal arts college, they don’t necessarily have the attendance numbers of other colleges/universities.
Now, St. Gregory will have to wait for the next census that will take place in 2020 before they can reapply for the loan.
St. Gregory’s was opened in 1875 and was the only Catholic university in Oklahoma. The closure now leaves hundreds of students scrambling to find a new school to call home in the spring semester.
The university has suspended all sports activities.
For Murray, she now has the challenge of finding another four-year institution that will bring her in for the 2018 season. Though she signed her NLI, it is reopened due to the impending situation.
“I am going on my journey, I am going where I am supposed to be going, it just sucks it had to happen this way,” said Murray.
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