Irene Delays Columbia Student Move-In While Harvard Opens Early

Hurricane Irene is delaying a rite of passage for students starting college along the U.S. East Coast as campus officials look to avoid compounding the pain of parting with actual physical injury from the storm.

Columbia University, New York University and Harvard College are among schools that have changed or delayed move-in dates for students. Irene, classified yesterday by the U.S. Weather Service as a Category 3 hurricane with top winds of at least 115 miles per hour, was expected to reach North Carolina this weekend before working its way up the Atlantic coast.