UPDATE: Several South Dakota universities closing campuses due to cold

UPDATE, 6:50 a.m.

The University of South Dakota has joined the list of universities cancelling classes due to a wave of bitterly cold temperatures moving into the region.

USD announced it is cancelling classes around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. Classes will resume Thursday at 8 a.m.

The announcement came a day after several other state universities cancelled classes. The delay apparently did not got unnoticed by some students, who started an

calling for classes to be cancelled. It received over 4,500 signatures.

South Dakota State University, Northern State University, Dakota State University, Southwest Minnesota State University, and Mount Marty's campus in Watertown are all closed through Thursday.

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Several public universities in eastern South Dakota are closing their campuses and canceling activities due to a frigid blast of cold air moving into the area.

South Dakota State University in Brookings, Dakota State University in Madison, and Northern State University in Aberdeen are closing their campuses at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday.

The universities each plan on resuming activities at noon on Thursday.

Each school says most activities will be canceled this time during the cold. They encourage students and staff to check emails and follow school postings for updates.

In addition, Mount Marty College in Watertown is closing until Thursday morning, and Southwest Minnesota State University is closing through Wednesday.

One notable exception, as of early Tuesday morning, is the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, which has not yet canceled classes. An

urging the school to cancel classes has gathered more than 4,000 signatures.

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Original story:

South Dakota State University will close its Brookings campus Tuesday afternoon due to extreme cold temperatures and a severe wind chill warning.

The closing impacts SDSU’s main campus and all supporting research farms and offices in Brookings County.

The closure goes into effect at 3 p.m. Tuesday and remains until noon Thursday. All classes and campus events are canceled and only employees classified as “essential” will report to work.

Students living on campus will have access to food services in Hansen Hall, Larson Commons and the University Student Union. Residence halls and dining operations will remain open.