Valley City State University officials decided yesterday to keep their campus closed for the rest of the semester, after flooding from the Sheyenne River prompted Valley City, N.D., to urge about half its residents to evacuate until the waters recede, which may not happen for two weeks.

Although the university has not yet been flooded, most of the campus falls within the evacuation zone. Items on lower levels of some buildings are being moved, and the campus has experienced some damage from heavy trucks and construction of nearby makeshift levees. The damage, combined with the fact that the evacuation order may not be lifted until just two weeks before graduation, led the university to release a letter announcing that students would not return to the campus and classes would continue online.

“All activities (athletic seasons, musical/theatrical performances, etc.) will be canceled the remainder of the semester. There are simply too many unknowns at this time, and with a two-week expected evacuation we do not have the ability to expect students back on campus. It has been agreed that we will continue with classes and finish the semester in whatever manner possible utilizing technology,” the letter reads. —Megan Eckstein