Concordia College

Messages from President Jolicoeur

Tuesday, April 7
The National Weather Service lowered its flood forecast today, predicting a second Red River crest of between 38 and 40 feet on April 16-18. This is encouraging news, which the National Weather Service credits to a “gentler melt” and limited precipitation over the next week to 10 days.

Of course, we will continue to monitor the situation in consultation with Moorhead city officials. The City is taking added precautions to protect the community and has developed contingencies that will make it highly unlikely that we will need to disrupt water and sewer service to the campus.

Classes will continue as scheduled throughout this next phase of the flood event. The City may be in need of volunteers to fill more sandbags, but we have been told the effort will be focused on “topping off” and supporting the sandbag dikes. Should there be a call for volunteers, we encourage students, faculty and staff to respond as they are able around their class and work schedules.

Thank you for your continued concern for the well being of our campus and the community.

President Jolicoeur

---

Friday, March 27
I am pleased to report that we have safely closed the campus. I hope that you are now with family or friends. The College is hosting a number of our students at Concordia Language Villages near Bemidji, Minn.

This is an uncertain time for the Fargo-Moorhead community, and we are doing everything we can to keep you up to date about the rapidly changing situation. I want to emphasize that the campus remains in great shape and our facilities management team will continue to be vigilant throughout this flood event.

The expected protracted duration of the flood crest makes our decision to resume classes difficult. However, classes are scheduled to resume on Monday, April 6. We will monitor the situation and alert you to any changes to this plan should events warrant. Please continue to monitor e2, Cobweb Express and the College Web site
for any flood-related developments.

All instructors have been encouraged to keep you advised about their expectations for each course. However, please keep in mind that many faculty are dealing with their own personal flood issues and may be unable to respond in as timely a way as they might like. We appreciate your patience as together we work through this
challenging situation. Please rest assured that your professors will be understanding and will accommodate your needs as best they can when they return.

If you are at home or some other safe place, you may simply want to keep up to date with your course readings, written and oral assignments — provided you have your materials with you. We will do our best to keep in touch with you, and we all look forward to the day when we can resume our normal daily lives.

President Jolicoeur

---

Thursday, March 26
EMERGENCY MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT JOLICOEUR: Having consulted with the City of Moorhead and Clay County officials regarding the rapidly evolving and unpredictable flood situation, I am declaring a campus emergency. Water and sewer have already been turned off and Concordia College will be closing tomorrow. I strongly recommend that those students who can safely leave campus do so at this time. If you are unable to leave safely this evening, please do so as soon as you are able tomorrow. If you could provide transportation to others, please do so.

If you do not have a place to go, please report to the Centrum beginning at 10 p.m. so the college can help arrange accommodations during the time the college is closed. If you can’t come to the Centrum tonight, please call the Student Affairs office at 299-3455 tomorrow morning. The Centrum will become the primary location for gathering emergency information.

There are many roads that are closed.

MnDOT:
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d4/newsrels/09/03-Mar/25_floodupdate_2.html

ND Road Closures: Road closures in Cass County, North Dakota
https://extranet.casscountynd.gov/Flooding/Pages/RoadClosures.aspx

When you leave, be sure to inform family members that you are leaving campus.

We believe your property will be safe on campus. Please just pack personal items and medicine to last the next 10 days.

Please continue to monitor e2 messaging, Cobweb and the Web site for further updates.

President Jolicoeur

---

Tuesday, March 24
Upon further consultation and review of continuing community needs during the flood crisis, Concordia is cancelling all classes on Wednesday, March 25. Please continue to volunteer as you are able.

I am so grateful for the response of our Concordia community during this time of need. Our students, faculty and staff were among the critical first responders to assist in flood preparations this past weekend. Hundreds of you have put in countless hours day and night to help our neighbors throughout the region. Visiting several work sites and the volunteer center during the last couple of days, I was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic Cobber spirit in action everywhere I went.

Please know that all of Concordia, as well as the entire Fargo-Moorhead community, are thankful for your invaluable contributions.

President Jolicoeur

---

Monday, March 23
Hundreds of our students, faculty and staff have joined thousands of community volunteers to help fill sandbags and build flood dikes. More volunteers will be needed during the coming days. 

For that reason, we have cancelled classes for Tuesday, March 24. The class schedule for the rest of the week will be determined after consulting with city officials about community needs.

We will continue to organize Concordia volunteers through FirstLink. Please monitor the Concordia Web site for more detailed information. Before volunteering, staff members should report first to their managers or supervisors to ensure adequate coverage for student and campus services.

The safety of our students remains our first priority. At this time, we do not expect the floodwaters to present any threat to our campus.  Our staff is prepared for any issues that might arise if storm sewers or overland flooding cause concerns for the campus. We will be prompt in notifying students and staff if there are any water-related concerns in the coming days.

Again, thank you for your hard work and collaborative spirit as we reach out to help our community.

Soli Deo Gloria,
President Jolicoeur