Delgado Cares - Hurricane Ida

From the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

Dear Students,

The College will resume operations on Monday, September 20.  Because we have missed time due to the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, the academic calendar for the fall semester has been revised to extend the semester by one week to ensure we meet instructional time requirements.  

Most classes will be virtual from September 20 - October 1, with the exception of nursing/allied health clinicals, practicums, labs and other courses that must be taught in a face-to-face manner.  You will receive information from your instructors about whether your classes are virtual or in-person. As we get closer to the 20th, more information will be communicated about the availability of on-campus and other resources if you are in need of computer/internet access to participate in classes.  Please check your course CANVAS sites and your email for communication from your instructors about your classes.  

Minisession 1 which was to start on September 20 has been cancelled.  There are no changes to Minisession 2.  Changes to note on the revised calendar include

Stay safe and we look forward to assisting you to get back on track toward your educational goals.

I hope this message finds you and your family safe and well.  Power has now been restored to all Delgado campuses and sites, and we are able to begin the restoration process.  However, I know that there are many among us who have sustained damages to our homes and are still without power.  In my last communication to you, I indicated that we would return on September 13, as this would allow the College an opportunity to remediate facilities and provide faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to get their personal lives in order. I also indicated that from September 13 through September 24, we would move to a rotational virtual/remote work schedule (a combination of in-person and remote work), and face-to-face instruction would move to virtual or hybrid modalities--with clinicals, practicums, and hands-on technical classes being the exception.  

Each day the College continues to make substantial progress, and this is because of the unwavering dedication of essential employees who have shown up for work every day since Monday, August 30 as well as those employees who have continued to work virtually so that Delgado maintains business and operational continuity.  Even with the substantial progress made, we are not to the point of launching a virtual return.  As I have indicated previously, this is a constantly evolving matter and much is dependent upon variables that are beyond our control. If we must make changes or adjust, we are prepared to do so. At this time, we must adjust our timeline; therefore, we are postponing our return of September 13 to September 20. The amended return plan is Monday, September 20 through Friday, October 1. During this time, staff will be on a virtual/ remote schedule to allow for rotational in-person work.  All face-to-face instructional classes will be moved to a virtual or hybrid modality. Clinicals, practicums and hands-on classes for nursing, allied health, culinary, and technical will resume in-person instruction on September 20, and faculty and students will receive guidance from the division deans.  Postponing our return will have implications to the academic calendar and schedule--additional information will be provided by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.

Essential staff (facilities, campus police, housekeeping, and OIT), please note that the above timeline does not apply to you and you must check in with your supervisor regarding work schedules. Additionally, the Joey Georgusis Center for Children will remain closed until further notice. 

Many faculty, staff, and students have been harshly impacted by Hurricane Ida.  To provide direct assistance, the Office of Institutional Advancement is seeking resources that can benefit our employees and students.  Please visit the Delgado Cares webpage to learn more about these efforts. New information will be added as it becomes available.

We will get through this: we are resilient, we are strong, we are Delgado.  Thank you for everything you continue to do each and every day on behalf of the College and our students.

Sincerely, 

Larissa Littleton-Steib, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Delgado Community College     

We have been able to do preliminary assessments of all facilities and it appears that we have minimum damage.  No damages have been reported to our IT systems.  We are in the process of conducting more in-depth evaluations of all facilities and IT infrastructures. 

I have been advised by Entergy that first light could come to New Orleans as soon as Wednesday midnight, which would then gradually re-establish service throughout the New Orleans metro areas.  I will have a better timeline later this week.  We do know that there are some areas in the Greater New Orleans Area with power, and on the Northshore, Cleco has been establishing service and is posting timely restoration updates.

Faculty, staff, and students were advised that all classes, coursework, and assignments are suspended until a return to class date is set.  At that time, instructors will provide guidance to students on assignments and due dates.  Students were also advised to monitor the College’s website for updates, as well as email and CANVAS.

The College is closed through Friday, September 3, 2021.  Please note that Monday, September 6^th is Labor Day Holiday, and the College is closed.  We are moving forward with closure through Friday, September 10^th.  Everything I am hearing is that power will be restored to the New Orleans metro area by the end of that week.  A return of September 13^th will give faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to get personal lives in order.

Unfortunately, COVID 19 is still a major concern particularly since many have evacuated with extended family and those that sheltered in place may have also done so with extended family.  We have been extremely proactive with COVID-19 and we have instituted many protocols to ensure safety and we have done extremely well.  Now is not the time to take any chances; therefore, we will pivot to virtual and remote operations and instruction beginning September 13^th - September 24^th.  Please note that we may have to add the missed instructional days to the fall academic calendar. More information pertaining to the academic schedule is forthcoming and will be communicated by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.

If you have not already done so, please complete the emergency questionnaire which will allow the College to ascertain needs that you may have.  Please continue to monitor emails and website for additional information.

Sincerely,

Larissa Littleton Steib, Ph.D.
Chancellor

Because of the significant impacts of Ida, the College will remain closed through September 3. Reopening status beyond this week will be communicated to you at a later date. Please stay connected via Facebook and the Delgado website.

Just as we have been proactive with COVID-19, Hurricane Ida will be no different. The below emergency resources can benefit you and your family. Your safety and the safety of your family is paramount so please take care of yourselves, your neighbors, and those you love.