Powerless After a Storm, Illinois Campus Moves Graduation Ceremonies Outdoors

Graduation ceremonies went on at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale this weekend, but not as planned. Severe thunderstorms with wind gusts up to 100 m.p.h. knocked out power to the entire campus on Friday, forcing it to cancel commencement ceremonies planned for Shryock Auditorium, The Southern Illinoisan reported.

University officials decided to move the events to the football stadium, and crews worked overnight to set up for outdoor ceremonies to be held there on Saturday and today. While damage was widespread in the area and in other states hit by the line of storms, the Carbondale campus emerged relatively unscathed, according to the Associated Press. The damage there consisted mainly of downed trees and broken windows. —Charles Huckabee