Northwestern State University of Louisiana has begun the repairs of potholes on its Natchitoches campus.

Bailey Willis, junior Student Government Association president, pledged to fix potholes on campus as a part of her campaign during the 2021-2022 school year.

Willis and Ebenezer Aggrey, junior SGA vice president, began the repairs over the summer of 2022.

“Contractors have installed rumble strips and striping on roads that were overlaid during the summer,” Willis said.

Jennifer A. Kelly, executive director of University Affairs, has played a large part in helping Willis and Aggrey in their efforts to repair potholes on campus.
“I have worked with Bailey to identify a few areas that needed immediate attention, so we will continue to work together to improve NSU’s facilities and the on-campus experience for our students,” Kelly said.
Kelly and Willis identified three major problem areas to begin the repair process.
“We are currently working with a local vendor to repair the area behind the Seven Oaks Stage, the area at the 3 way stop adjacent to UP 1, and also a widening project at the NSU Middle Lab/TEC parking to alleviate some of the heavy traffic on Tarleton in the afternoons,” Kelly said.
The Capital Outlay Project is an essential part of ensuring the success of repairs on campus, which includes fixing the potholes.
The Capital Outlay Project is a 5-year plan submitted by each university to request to the legislature for money and how it will be spent on the campus.
The funds used for this project come from outside sources, such as the Capital Outlay project, rather than NSU’s personal budget.
Marcus Jones, the 20th president of NSU, is working to determine the budget for the repairs.
“Dr. Jones and other members of the administration are working to determine other means of funding for projects on campus,” Kelly said. “Currently, we are working with the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Program to hopefully receive some funding for beautification and recycling projects on campus.”

As a student, Jada Hardy, junior health and exercise major, drives on campus frequently and is happy to see the efforts to fix the potholes.

“The potholes on campus are very dangerous and can cause a lot of car accidents and damage to people’s vehicles,” Hardy said. “I would like to continue to see construction fix the roads.”

Willis understands that the issue is far from resolved and plans to continue working toward safer roads on campus.

“We acknowledge that such changes cannot be made overnight and there are Capital Outlay projects on the way in addition to repairs that have already been made throughout the summer,” Willis said.