Power was lost in at least 31 campus buildings because of a dead squirrel, prompting widespread class cancellations.
The sun was shining, and the air was crisp as Ohio University stirred to life Monday morning when, without warning, much of campus was plunged into darkness.
Partially due to the fact a dead squirrel was found in a switch gear.
At approximately 9:15 a.m., power was lost in many of OU’s buildings, residence and lecture halls. The outage affected at least 31 campus buildings, including the Baker Center, Alden Library, Bentley Hall, Morton Hall, Copeland Hall and the Life Science Center. According to a press release at about 8 p.m., it was determined the cause of the outage was the squirrel.
According to an update emailed to students at 5:05 p.m., crews began making repairs “relating to a power switch gear,” leaving Perkins, Bush and Biddle halls without lights or heat. Power was restored to the dorms at about 7:15 p.m. Monday.
According to the earlier release, emergency generators were supposed to be brought in at 12 a.m. Tuesday to power the halls. Students were advised to seek a “warm, comfortable space” at Baker, Alden Library, Ping Recreation Center or the Living Learning Center, the hours of which were extended for the night.
“It could be worse,” Kurt Kissinger, a freshman studying MIS marketing, said.
Kissinger’s economics class in Bentley Hall was cancelled due to the outage.
“(The power outage) kind of sucks, but there is still WiFi,” he said.
According to a campus alert sent at 11:45 a.m., the outage covered East Green, College Green and parts of West Green.
After three hours in the dark, power was restored to most buildings by noon.
During the outage, campus WiFi operated on backup generators, according to a tweet from the OU Office of Information Technology. Nonetheless, hoards of students took to social media outlets such as Twitter and YikYak to voice both their frustrations about cancelled classes and closed coffee shops.
Although many professors cancelled classes before their students had the chance to head out the door, some decided that a lecture in the dark would still be better than no lecture at all. Such proved true for Emma Ellis, a freshman studying speech therapy, whose morning lecture in Gordy Hall took place in the dark.
For Erica Ebert, a sophomore studying wildlife and conservation biology, calculus class, which is typically in Morton Hall, took place outside, despite the chilly November air.
“It didn’t turn out too well,” Ebert said. “(The professor) had chalk on the concrete, but it still didn’t work.”
@lauren__fisher
lf96614@ohio.edu
