In response to the threat of Hurricane Delta, classes on all campuses of Northwestern State University will be held virtually Friday, Oct. 9. The storm is expected to bring strong winds, heavy rains and possible flash flooding to central Louisiana Friday night and Saturday.

NSU President Dr. Chris Maggio met with state officials and other administrators in making the decision. Many Friday classes meet virtually and end before noon, according to Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Greg Handel.

Faculty and staff will telework from home with only essential personnel on campus Friday. Students should access their courses via myNSU. The university will not be officially closed but will maintain operations in an online format.

“Many students are already taking classes virtually and in a hybrid format. By holding all classes online Friday, students who have face-to-face classes can return to their homes after Thursday if they wish to do so,” Maggio said.

Food services and housing will be open and available to students who remain on campus. Hours will be posted and updated on NSU’s official social media channels. The Russell Hall computer lab will remain open and accessible with student ID. Watson Library will be closed Friday and Saturday and will reopen Sunday with regular hours, 2-10 p.m. Hours for other campus libraries is available at library.nsula.edu.

The Modern in Motion VIII dance concert has been postponed to Friday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 17. Performances will be at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the downtown riverbank in Natchitoches.

Hurricane Delta is expected to make landfall in the Louisiana central coast midday Friday. The main impact to central and northwest Louisiana will begin Friday afternoon through the morning hours into Saturday with possible wind gusts of 50-80 miles per hour.