Duke officials are temporarily shutting down Krzyzewskiville, the tent village for students named after Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski located just outside Cameron Indoor Stadium, due to health concerns.
According to the Duke Chronicle, the area has apparently become a breeding ground for disease. And due to the flu epidemic being more severe than normal this year, Duke is taking no chances.
An indefinite grace period to allow students to clear out was ordered on Wednesday night.
There were 70 groups tenting in Krzyzewskiville for a chance to receive tickets to the game against North Carolina on March 3, an annual tradition for students to claim the best seats. Right now they are in the blue tenting period, which requires one person in each group of 12 to be in the tent during day hours and six of the 12 required during night hours. The students are subject to periodic tent checks but the line monitors will allow for grace periods in the event of extreme weathers and other situations -- including a flu epidemic.
According to the CDC, this year's flu epidemic is the worst it has been in a decade. All in all, 37 deaths have been reported this flu season.
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta told parents the university acted because there have been "several new cases of influenza among our student population" and that it has "identified some students from K-ville with the flu," according to the News & Observer.
