Fate of Saint Augustine's accreditation in hands of agency; decision expected Tuesday

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- In 24 hours, Saint Augustine's University will know whether it will remain an accredited institution. The accreditation committee will render a decision Tuesday. This has alum of the early college program on the campus of the Historically Black College and University concerned.

"I'm scared. I don't know what the future is going to hold for the academies," said Teresa Basaves, a former student of the Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy. "What will happen to it? Will it just be a middle school? Will there be no early college programs?

Basaves' younger brother attends the Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy. As anxiety mounts around the accreditation decision, brackets for the 2024 CIAA tournament have been released.

The first men's game of the 2024 basketball tournament is Monday night with Saint Augustine's scheduled to take on Bluefield State.

Last Monday, Interim President Marcus Burgess said that it would be a challenge to get students to the tournament because of financial constraints. He told ABC11 that the university's request for a loan from a bank was denied.

"We got denied because of the press..the negative press," said Burgess. "The financial instability. Now, on one hand, it makes sense right? We've got IRS problems. We've got problems all over the place."

Amid those problems, there are now questions about how the university paid for the trip to Maryland. There has been no official word yet from the university on whether the basketball teams are there.