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Campus Closures

by Courtney Jackson

As the coronavirus continues to rapidly spread all over the state, LSUS staff has made it a priority to help flatten the curve.

On Thursday, April 2, our Provost Dr. Helen Taylor announced several on campus closures including the Faculty Computer Lab, the University Center Campus Wide Computer Lab and the Food Pantry. These student resources officially closed on April 3 and will remain closed until further notice.

With the number of COVID-19 cases steadily rising in Caddo Parish, the administration needed to do this for the safety of all of our students and faculty.

The administration also understands the challenges this presents to those individuals who were relying on these resources to continue in their daily lives. Due to this, some alternative resources have been available.

An email from Taylor outlines these resources:

  • The Virtual Computer Lab (VCL) is an online service which allows students to log into a Virtual Desktop to access software that is normally installed in the Campus Wide Lab. The VCL is available on or off campus, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are two virtual desktops available:
  • General Use Desktop - The "General Use Desktop" has basic software including: Windows 10, Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access), Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, SPSS26, R, R Studio, WinSCP, FileZilla, Wolfram Mathematica, and NetBeans IDE. Users will also have access to their Z: Drive.
  • Advanced Software Desktop - The "Advanced Software Desktop" is meant for users who require specialized software. This desktop has all the software installed on the "General Use Desktop" and additionally includes Autodesk Maya, Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat Pro, etc.), ArcGIS, SQL Express, and Visual Studio Community.

For those who are in need of wireless internet access, the staff has set up a Wi-Fi network that can be accessed from vehicles parked in the Student Faculty Wi-Fi Parking Lot next to the Technology Center Parking Lot. Please click here for the campus map and instructions on how to connect.

In addition to the computer lab, many students rely on the Food Pantry every month. The pantry remained open until 4 p.m. on Friday and students were allowed to collect items up to the 75-pound monthly limit for April.

According to Dean of Students Paula Atkins, a Student Emergency Relief Fund has also been established to provide financial support to students during this time of national emergency. This fund is meant to help those students who may face additional expenses and be at risk of having to leave the University.

If you need additional technical assistance or have technology concerns, please visit the LSUS IT Helpdesk at https://helpdesk.lsus.edu or call them at 318-797-5221. If you need additional assistance, please email deanofstudents@lsus.edu.

The faculty and staff of LSUS want to ensure that everyone is able to get the resources they need and most importantly remain safe.