UVI Rise Hurricane Relief Fundraiser Held in Boston

University of the Virgin Islands President, Dr. David Hall, attended a hurricane relief fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Northeastern’s Alumni Center on Columbus Avenue in Boston. The primary goal of the fundraiser was to help provide essential supplies to students, faculty, and staff members at UVI —some of whom lost their homes when Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the Virgin Islands.

“It was a very successful event,” Dr. Hall said. “I think that the people went away with a deep appreciation of our struggles and a deep commitment to trying to help us get some relief.” 

The event featured an auction of sports memorabilia and other items. The Red Sox donated an autographed David Price jersey, and the Celtics committed to providing an Al Horford jersey. Several local businesses, including Oleana Restaurant, Sofra Cafe and Bakery, Karma Coffee, and La Campania Restaurant donated items for auction. STKing Associates provided two Celtics game tickets. 

From this fundraiser, the UVI Relief Fund has raised $10,000 and other donations are also expected.

The secondary goal of the fundraiser was to shine a spotlight on the acute need in the Virgin Islands. “I was able to share with them what has happened as a result of Hurricanes Irma and Maria and what we are doing to recover,” said Dr. Hall. “I emphasized the need for their support of the UVI Rise Relief Fund. We also used an Institutional Advancement slide presentation that showed the before and after pictures of the campus and people were very impressed with that.” 

Dr. Hall was also invited to make a presentation at the St. Paul AME Church the next day. “Similar to what took place at the Ebenezar Baptist Church in Atlanta, they devoted the outreach offering basket to the UVI Relief Fund,” Dr. Hall said. 

Sandra King, a marketing strategist for STKing Associates LLC, organized the fundraiser to benefit the University of the Virgin Islands hurricane relief effort. Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun’s office sponsored the event. 

To help the UVI students, faculty and staff visit the UVI Rise Relief Fund page.

Ebenezer Baptist Church Family Lend Support UVI Family

UVI President David Hall & Dr. Marilyn Braithwaite Hall

The historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., the spiritual home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the home of 4,000 members of its congregation, took up a collection on Sunday, Nov. 19, not to support a cause in Atlanta, but to support the students, faculty and staff of the University of the Virgin Islands and the people of the Virgin Islands.

UVI President David Hall attended the 11:30 a.m. service with his wife, Dr. Marilyn Braithwaite Hall, and made an appeal for UVI and the VI.

Through Dr. Hall, members of the church learned of the plight caused by two category five hurricanes that struck the Virgin Islands, just days apart, in September 2017.

Dr. Marilyn Braithwaite Hall,

“We lost across both campuses about 10 buildings,” Dr. Hall said. “Many of our faculty, students and staff have been displaced. Two months later there is only about 30 percent of the island that has power and we are engaged in a process of trying to support our students and faculty and staff because they are coming to work every day.”

“We resumed classes one month having gone through all of that, but they are coming to class and coming to work to keep the semester alive. But many of them are going back home to darkness – to no power, to no water,” Dr. Hall continued. “Students have lost their homes, yet they are still trying to pursue their degree.”

Ebenezer Baptist Church

“So my wife and I and so many others are on a mission to try to get this nation to realize that yes, Puerto Rico lost a lot and yes, Houston and Florida lost a lot, but there are these African Americans in the Caribbean who have lost a lot as well and that they need your support,” he said.

“Every Sunday we raise an ‘In As Much’ offering at our church,” said Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock to his congregation. “Know that as you give to the ‘In As Much’ offering today, that we are going to help the US Virgin Islands in the short-term.” He asked the congregation to also think about long-term partnering with a Historically Black College in the Virgin Islands to help. Rev. Pastor Warnock had an opportunity to speak with Drs. Hall before the services.               

Dr. David Hall & Pastor Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock.

Ebenezer Baptist Church is Atlanta-America’s Freedom Church, anchored in the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The church is an urban-based, global ministry dedicated to individual growth and social transformation through living in the message and carrying out the mission of Jesus Christ. Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr., known as “Daddy King,” served as assistant pastor from 1927 to 1930. Rev. King, Sr. became pastor of Ebenezer in 1931.

To help the UVI students, faculty and staff visit the UVI Rise Relief Fund page.

UVI Aides VI in the Recovery Efforts

Select areas of the University of the Virgin Islands’ St. Thomas Campus are being used to help the territory recover from the Hurricanes Irma and Maria. President David Hall spoke of the role that University Virgin Islands has been playing in an effort to regain normalcy in the Virgin Islands at a Board of Trustees board meeting in October 2017.

The Sports and Fitness Center on the St. Thomas Campus has been repurposed as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Command Center, which will provide leadership and support in the Territory’s restoration efforts.


The Reichhold Center for the Arts having suffered severe damage to its property is not operational from its grounds. As a result, the parking lot currently houses 400 parking spaces for FEMA and additional electrical utility vehicles and equipment that are on island assisting to restore electricity.

Utility trucks on Reichold's premises

The Soccer Field on the St. Thomas Campus was occupied by the U.S. Military, which provided ground military and other recovery and restorative support for the Territory.

Military tents on UVI soccer field

President Hall proudly spoke of UVI’s partnership with retired National Basketball Association (NBA) player and local hero Tim Duncan for the St. Thomas Campus to serve as one of the sites for distribution of food and supplies as part of his relief aid and efforts. Dr. Hall, University students and employees assisted with distribution of food and supplies.

President Hall assisting with distribution

The University is working with the V.I. Department of Human Services to serve as one of the registration sites in St. Thomas for the weeklong Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) which gives food assistance to approved individuals, not currently on the SNAP program, who have experienced food loss or damage as a result of the hurricanes. The SNAP program began on Monday, Nov. 6 and will conclude on Thursday, Nov. 9. The program will resume operations from Nov. 13 to 15.

Individuals lined up to apply for DSNAP

Individuals lined up to apply for DSNAP

“Our Cooperative Extension Service has been disseminating information to local farmers on relief benefits available through Florida Organic Growers and other farm organizations,” said President Hall of UVI’s collaboration with the V.I. Department of Agriculture.

The University after closing its doors in preparation for hurricane Irma on Tuesday, Sept. 5, was able to reopen its doors one month after on Monday, 9th October.

WUVI ‘Surviving the Storm’

WUVI 1090 am and 97.3 FM

Amid winds over 185mph WUVI, the University’s student-run radio station, stayed on air and transformed from a classroom to a professional radio station overnight.

During Hurricane Irma, DaraMonifah Cooper the station manager, Corey Hanley senior communications major and D’Ajahni Estrada-Petersen, another communications major continued broadcasting throughout.

“The storm was supposed to come on the Wednesday and I was scheduled to work on the Tuesday and the Wednesday,” says Hanley sports commentator, analyst and radio personality at WUVI. “I decided to come into work on the Tuesday and there was a curfew that was supposed to be in place the Wednesday morning so I wouldn’t be able to leave. I love WUVI you know and I decided to come to work and just stay the night and throughout Irma.”

D’Ajahni Estrada-Petersen & Corey Hanley in WUVI Studio 1
- from left

“Irma was more wind damage, of course, we had some water that came in, the whole second floor was filled with water,” notes Kyrek Benjamin junior communications major and radio personality at WUVI who also spent many days and nights throughout the ‘storm weeks’ working at WUVI. “We worked together with security to keep the water from reaching any equipment that could be damaged while someone else kept content on air. We were alternating between bailing water and keeping the show going.”

WUVI houses a variety of computers, radio consoles, records, codex boxes and other tech that allows the station to function. Penha House is also home to the main network room for the University. Preventing damage to those rooms allowed Penha House to become the communication hub it did after Hurricane Irma.

“Eventually we had to put the station on manual and deal with the water situation but at some point during Irma, we had to turn our attention to the station to bail water from our main studio, Studio one,” says Hanley. “We have four studios at WUVI and there were only 3 studios that had issues with water during Irma.”

After Irma, WUVI and the Communications lab, which also serves as the main classroom for all communications classes, turned into a communication hub. Penha House was the only building that retained internet connection and in Penha House, WUVI’s studios were the only rooms in Penha House with everything working – internet, phones. Thus, many of the students on campus during the storm used the facilities at Penha House to contact family members and vice versa.

“WUVI students and staff facilitated students with contacting their families and peers by going to the East dorm where students were sheltered and making a list as well as taking pictures and videos of the students, which were all, posted on Facebook,” said Cooper. “For the weeks following the storms, we also responded to hundreds of Facebook messages, emails and seemingly endless phone calls from concerned parents, community members out of the territory, businesses and media agencies, who were listening to WUVI online.”

The students, under the leadership of Cooper, provided the listening audience with updates from the Governor’s press conferences, local and regional news updates from WSTA-AM 1340 on St. Thomas and WSTX-FM 100.3 on St. Croix as well as information from the different disaster relief organizations in the territory.

“We had music playing during Irma but every hour we would give updates,” says Hanley. “We had our email open and there was internet on one of our computers so when a message was sent to all the different stations concerning updates we would get those updates and relay the messages on air just to keep people up-to-date because we were one of two or three stations that were still able to broadcast during Irma.”

“We recorded the governor’s briefings during and after the storm and also re-aired them for the listening audience,” adds Benjamin.

DaraMonifah Cooper and Iffat Walker -
from right

Lance Smith, Kyrek Benjamin, Shaudea Prince and Mike Sentz were among some of the students that came in after Irma to help WUVI in its operations.

“Since we were one of two or three stations that were up and running at the time through the storm, with the people that were here we were able to turn it from just a learning environment to a full-blown commercial radio station,” says Hanley.

Two-person teams were made to make operations run smoothly. One student handled providing content on-air, while the other dealt with walk-ins and phone calls.

“The students that were on campus, there were a lot of parents calling the stations after Irma concerned about their children,” says Hanley. “So of course, we got phone calls like crazy from parents looking for their children and people in the community trying to gauge the situation after Irma. Some of the students came in and were able to relay a message to whomever, whether parents or guardians and used Facebook to contact their loved ones because Penha House was one of the only buildings with internet access.”

Kyrek Benjamin & Corey Hanley in WUVI Studio 1 -
from left

WUVI and its workers spent their recovery period helping the community stay in contact with each other and the outside world. During this recovery period because of damage caused by Hurricane Maria, WUVI was able to broadcast via their FM frequency and the online stream and they continued to provide their communication services.

“We also did a video, and told the student to communicate what they needed to in the video letting their loved ones know that they are okay for the time being, which was posted on Facebook,” says Benjamin.

A Facebook video message was also made to relay the well-being of student to worried family members abroad. See video here: https://www.facebook.com/wuviam1090/videos/830394147120478/

“D’Ajahni, the other student that stayed in the station during the storm, personally went and collected all the names of the individuals in the video and tagged them on posts so that the people in their friend groups online would find it [the posts] easily,” says Hanley.

However, two weeks after Hurricane Irma, Maria, another category five hurricane, came barreling towards the territory again. This time WUVI was struck with even more water damage.

“For Maria though, Maria was the water one,” recalls Hanley. “This one the flooding was really happening. For Maria every studio had water, but we had more help at this point so it was easier to deal with but there was a lot of water. During Maria, the station couldn’t go on, for Irma we were solid throughout and we were still functioning up until Maria. But then Maria came and we weren’t able to keep the station up and running. The water was just too much to keep the station up and running.

Kyrek Benjamin, Corey Hanley & D’Ajahni Estrada-Petersen
in Studio 4 (COM Classroom/lab) - from left

At that point, WUVI was forced to suspend their operations until further notice.

“Even though Irma cause the most physical damage, we were still able to function on air and broadcasting upbeat music to keep spirits up and keep updating the community,” says Benjamin.

“We tried to do the same things after Maria, but things just went left and we weren’t able to do that. At that point, we only had the stream up because our AM and FM were down but it was still something. But with Maria, all of a sudden, the water came out of no place and then the stream was down,” adds Hanley.

When the semester restarted Instructors Dara Cooper and Dr. Chenzira Davis-Kahina, director of the Virgin Islands and Caribbean Cultural Center, had intentions for students to volunteer at WSTA 1340AM and WSTX-FM 100.3 to continue teaching students in a real-world laboratory while theirs is unavailable.

“We also have been simulcasting from some of WSTX’s content and researching ways to air WSTA's content on our stream while we work on getting our FM (and AM) back on air,” says Cooper. 

Kyrek Benjamin, Majestik Estrada-Petersen & Corey Hanley in
Studio 4 (COM Classroom/lab) -
from right

The current update about WUVI’s funds and status is that the grant has been extended for a year so that the station can utilize the funds remaining from last year, but those funds are on hold from being spent on anything so students cannot be hired to staff the station. The station is currently still off air, un-manned and the Merlin, Gandalf, Bridgit technology (equipment that allows content transmission)  is not speaking to each other until internet issues are resolved. No one is on staff for WUVI, unless persons volunteer… which of course, individuals still are.

“I’m back to my full-time job at CES as well as teaching part-time for CLASS, which now obviously minimizes my volunteer time ability to help rebuild WUVI, but I’m doing whatever I can when I can,” notes Cooper. “I just got two bottles of MOLD CONTROL today (one for each campus) from Dr. Brathwaite-Hall, so that I can continue to advocate for a healthy environment in the spaces that WUVI/students, faculty, staff and community members utilize, including the radio stations and classrooms/COM Labs. Within the past few days, I’ve been communicating with a handful of requests for people who are interested in WUVI for one reason or the other for advertising, shows, and PSAs, so the community definitely has recognized the value of it. This is motivating because it shows me that even in its current crippled state; people are still wanting to support and benefit from it. WUVI will rise again.”

The station broadcasts on 1090 AM, 97.3 FM and online at www.wuvi.am. They have also extended their broadcasting prowess by using social media, especially Facebook Live. This student radio station is home to many communications majors past and present and needs the assistance of the general public it serves to continue the work they are doing in educating students about traditional and new media.

To help the UVI students, faculty and staff visit the UVI Rise Relief Fund page.

CSS Hump Day White T-Shirt Event Welcomes Students Back to Campus

The Center or Student Success held it’s “Hump Day White T-shirt Wednesday “on Wednesday, October 18th, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. outside the CSS Learning Center at the CAB Building. There were games, prizes, giveaways, music, and refreshment. Students had the opportunity to interact with their Deans/representatives and various UVI departments to ask academic-related questions. Students were also encouraged to share their personal experience from the hurricanes and wrote motivational and empowering words on white t-shirts and posters.  We are overcoming this hurdle together…we are #UVIstrong Irma and Maria survivors!

Weathering the Storms; Life Lessons Taught by Hurricanes Irma & Maria

UVI Bent, But Not Broken

Nigencia James, a junior communications major, stood on stage in the Sports and Fitness Center looking out at hundreds of new freshmen ready to launch their collegiate careers in August 2017 at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Student Convocation. Fresh faced freshman and transfer students were gathered to be officially welcomed into the UVI Family.

No one could have guessed that just a few weeks later and 12 days apart; both of the University’s campuses would be damaged by two category five hurricanes.

East Residence Hall

James, a St. Kitts native, was one of 150 students that sheltered in the East Residence Hall. Built in 1991. This residence hall was specifically designed to protect students during weather events.

James, a new resident assistant for Middle C, D and E, worked with other RA’s and Director of Residence Life and Student Housing Jennifer Palmer Crawford to set up room arrangements and kept cool while placing residence into the hall. Kaunda Williams and Jiame Berry were a part of the team that moved more than 50 mattresses to the shelter.

Nigencia James

“We tried our best to make sure we were prepared as possible,” says Williams, a senior majoring in business administration. “That was a major thing of course. I could see that students were a little anxious, but the RA team was prepared mentally. We were reaching out to each other in our group chat.”

James was not too worried about the storm. “I was concerned, but I also had a kind of positive attitude. I was more thinking that UVI has to ensure that I am okay,” she says.

Berry, a Business administration major and RA, advised Ms. Palmer Crawford to prepare for the worst. “The worst is going to happen to us,” he predicted at the time.

Hurricane Irma struck during the day. Winds upward of 185 mph ravaged the St. Thomas Campus. James sheltered in East 201 with other RA’s. Other students hunkered down with friends and classmates. Palmer Crawford and her family took shelter in East Hall as well.

Kaunda Williams

During the storm, Berry sheltered on the males’ side of East Hall with nine students, most of whom had fallen asleep. “This big white thing was coming towards the building. We heard a loud crashing thundering noise – boom.” The men jumped out of their sleep. Berry says they thought the shelter was compromised, but the building held. The roof of GeoCAS, formerly the accounting building was the culprit. The roof spilt on either side of the hall. “It was sort of frightening, to see a whole roof coming toward the building – hitting the building – but yet the shelter wasn’t compromised, which was a blessing.”

Others had a similar experience. “There was one point when we were all sleeping and we just heard a loud noise like something hit the building,” James says. “We all jumped out of our sleep—hearts racing. We were trying to figure out what’s going on.” Then something else hit the window. “That was the turning point,” she says. “We realized this is serious. This is really happening. We started putting on our shoes. I don’t know where we were going, but we were packing our bags just in case. God forbid we had to evacuate. That is when it really hit me. This is a category five hurricane. We are at the mercy of mother nature at this point in time.”



“Seeing outside, it was very different. I don’t think I have ever been so deep into a fog,” says Williams. “Looking out the window I could not see a good 10 meters in front of me.” Water started to push through the bathroom and he grabbed a mop to clean up the water as Hurricane Irma forced it into the dorm.

“That was definitely the most stressful part—constant mopping to make sure that the water did not get into the lobby,” says Williams, who battled the incoming water for about five hours. “The last thing I wanted was for water to get there and for the mattresses to get wet.”

MacLean Marine Science Center

Hurricanes Irma’s winds left East Residence Hall without major damage. There was, however, damage to multiple buildings on campus. The School of Business Building, Maclean Marine Science Building and the Reichhold Center for the Arts sustained major damage. West Residence Hall, which housed 104 students, was no longer habitable.

After the Storm

Students emerged from the East Residence Hall stunned. “I did not expect the campus to look half as bad as it did,” James says. “It was just overwhelming. The hurricane actually did this.

She continued, “These are things that we take for granted. Oh, I am going to the Business Building for class today,” she says lightly. “You would not actually think that a storm might just come and decide the business building is no more.”

Business Administration Office

James was relieved that the majority of the other residence halls were okay, especially Middle Dorms which she is responsible for. She was relieved that the personal belongings of students were saved. “You don’t want to lose everything in a place that you feel is your safe haven at this point in time,” she says.

“The ‘Caf’ was exceptional,” James noted of the UVI Cafe. “I don’t know what is was, but the hurricane food was the best I have ever had from the cafeteria. They were on par. I think they did an amazing job. They went above and beyond for us.”

UVI Café’s staff stayed on Campus to meet student needs. Six Café employees weathered the storm in the UVI Café, now located in the building in the middle of north, east, middle and south dorms. “Most of the cafeteria staff have family that they could have gone home to, and they decided to stay here to ensure that we had something to eat and we did not hear them complain or anything. They cooked the food. They brought it down. We shared and they repeated this cycle over and over without a frown,” James says.

“The Cafeteria staff took excellent care of us,” Williams says noting that they were better off than the rest of the island. “They were going through so much and we were here eating three meals a day.”

Physical plant staff also stayed on campus and were able to fix the generator to East Hall quickly.

Recovery Mode

Business Administration Building

“After the storm, people who wouldn’t even be talking, are actually talking,” says Berry. “Everybody was put in a situation that none of us were ready for, but we had to make the best of it. What you thought about back then or had an imagination of is no longer existing.” He continued, “Certain simply things that you would even take for granted, like a cold shower – not even hot – you’re going to appreciate that even more.” The day when Physical Plant got the water back up, the relief when people actually got to take a shower – the sigh of relief.” Students used collected water for personal hygiene while the Physical Plant employees worked to repair the generators.

To keep students entertained after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, St. Thomas Campus Dean Verna Rivers, Palmer Crawford and UVI Basketball Coach Jeff Jones came up with activities for students. Hand tennis, yoga, and a day time quiet party were just a few of the activities. For the quiet party, the UVI Cafe windows were covered to give a night-time effect and students donned head phones and partied to the sounds of DJ Keg.

“This experience has been a learning one – definitely,” says James. “I think that if we weren’t strong before, after this we will definitely not be easily broken.” There is a saying that says ‘we may be bent, but we are not broken.’ I feel like that is where UVI and students, faculty and staff are at this point.”

“I feel that hurricane season really teaches us about community and unity,” Williams says. “It’s like you hear stories about what is happening across the island – people who don’t speak to each other. If your neighbor’s house is gone you’re not going to just watch them—you are going to open up your doors and say come inside.”

Lessons from the Storms

“I am very grateful for life,” Williams says. “I am super grateful for UVI. Because the conditions that people living in right now on the island is still in my mind unbearable.” He continues, “I am at UVI still eating three meals a day; still having running water; still have a bed to rest my head and a roof over my head. A lot of people don’t have those luxuries right now. I am definitely 110 percent more grateful than I was before hurricane season came around.” Williams plans to participate in the Thurgood Marshal College Fund’s Leadership Institute in October 2017. He would like to interview to do marketing with fortune 500 companies that he hopes to connect with at the conference.



“Now I appreciate everything so much more,” James says. “I really try hard not to complain because I would complain there is no Wi-Fi and there are persons with no roof, no clothes.” After completing her undergraduate degree at UVI, James will pursue a master's in international relations or enroll in law school.

Student Activities Building

Berry, who plans to become an entrepreneur after college, says the storms left the community and the wider Caribbean community with more humility and this brings forth their humanity. “You have to respect people, understand people and also care for people,” he says. “I lot of that does not happen anymore, but after these series of unfortunate events that’s happening right now. People are more human again towards one another.” Berry will pursue a master degree after he completes his undergraduate degree at UVI.


UVI Classes started on Monday, Oct. 9 on both the St. Thomas Campus and the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix.

UVI has started a UVI Rise Relief Fund to solicit donations to help UVI’s students, faculty and staff. Text 2017IRMA to 71777 to support this effort or use this link UVI Rise Relief Fund.

UVI Cafe Providing the Best, When Times are the Roughest

Chef Ashley Allen

UVI Café, an Oasis in Times of Hurricane Recovery

The UVI Café never stopped serving warm, flavor-filled healthy food to students at the University of the Virgin Islands. The hundred and fifty students that sheltered in East Residence Hall on the St. Thomas Campus, never had to worry about food when Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the Virgin Islands.

A category five storm, Hurricane Irma struck on Sept. 6. Twelve days later, Hurricane Maria, also a category five storm, ravaged the territory. Both left heavy damage to UVI’s structures.

Fortunately, the UVI Café on the St. Thomas Campus survived the storm. “The pressure was on,” says Ashely Allen, UVI Café chef and Elite Hospitality Management president, of Hurricane Irma at its worst. “It felt like you were 30 thousand feet in the air, how your ears were popping. You could tell the building was shifting. I give it to who ever built this building, it is built strong.”

On the day that Hurricane Irma struck the territory, UVI students received three square meals. Breakfast was delivered before the storm, but the lunch delivery had to be dropped off quickly as Hurricane Irma arrived earlier than forecasted. At five p.m. after the storm passed, with no generator and limited lights, the UVI Café staff prepared dinner for the residents. Security assisted with the delivery of the food. When they emerged after the storm they noticed that several of the staff’s personal vehicles were damaged.

“It was a challenge, but we had a good crew,” says Chef Allen, who managed the best they could with after hurricane challenges, light, power, water and effective waste removal. The University’s physical plant employees and security were able to help with most of these challenges. “The crew, UVI staff as well, did an awesome job,” he says. “We all worked well together.”

Some members of the UVI Cafe team

Menu items included, juicy barbecue chicken, grilled pork loin, savory fish or veggie options, pesto pasta, soups and cookies. “It was a high end menu. The students didn’t feel anything as far as when it comes to the dining side,” says Allen. “They were eating as if they were eating on a regular basis.” They also prepared grilled sandwiches, but made sure the items were not bland. “We made sure that the flavor was on point and that we were on time,” he said. In addition to having dinner they ensured that the students had snacks as well.

“Our main goal was making sure that whoever was on the property was taken care,” says Allen, who catered to security and physical plant personnel as well. He made sure to especially take care of the students who were away from home with parents worrying about their welfare.

Chef Allen says that he had fun preparing and delivering the meals.

“The ‘Caf’ was exceptional,” Nigencia James, a junior communications major, who stayed on Campus for both hurricanes. “I don’t know what is was, but the hurricane food was the best ever I have ever had from the cafeteria. They were on par. I think they did an amazing job. They went above and beyond for us.”

“Most of the cafeteria staff have family that they could have gone home to, and they decided to stay here to ensure that we had something to eat and we did not hear them complain or anything,” James says. “They cooked the food. They brought it down, we shared and they repeated this cycle over and over without a frown.

“The Cafeteria staff took excellent care of us,” says Kaunda Williams, a business administration major at UVI, noting that they were better off than the rest of the island. “They were going through so much and we were here eating three meals a day.”

After the storms had passed the UVI Café became a favorite for UVI faculty and staff, providing hot meals and cold ice when many other establishments were still trying to clean up and get back to business. On Sept. 26, the UVI Café announced that it was open to the public.

“When they walk in it is like an oasis. They go from frustrated down to relaxed,” he said of the customers. “They don’t expect to see this – lights on, hot food, and fresh bread. It is like a home away from home for a lot of people.” The UVI Café served 600 people on Sept. 26, and the wait was about an hour and a half on that day. “The food was excellent,” Allen says. “That was the best part cause if you wait long you want to make sure the food is good.”

UVI Cafe dinning area

Allen is a senior Hospitality and Tourism Management major. He expects to graduate in Spring 2018 with high honors with other classmates who plan to become the leaders in the field in the Virgin Islands.

The UVI Café is open from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. for breakfast, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. for dinner. Customers can have breakfast, lunch and dinner for $30. Persons can have their desserts, salads, entrée, and a drink for $10 for lunch or dinner, he said. Chef Allen prides himself on having healthy menu options that are savory for the palate.



See this link to the UVI Cafe video.

UVI has started a UVI Rise Relief Fund to solicit donations to help UVI’s students, faculty and staff. Text 2017IRMA to 71777 to support this effort or use this link UVI Rise Relief Fund.