BREAKING NEWS: Hill loses power again

Josh Buckman

FRIDAY, August 27, 2004

ome students might want to take a flashlight and a cold drink to class with them.

Students, faculty and staff had to manage without power for the second time in two days.

Several buildings on the Hill were without power this morning after unidentified problems occurred with a substation on Dogwood Ave.

That meant no air conditioning or lights in several classrooms and dorms.

The same buildings lost power on Wednesday.

Western’s source of power is distributed from various substations.

The two blackouts were probably related, Facilities Management Director Doug Ault said. But the cause of the power failures has not yet been determined.

Ault said he believes the electrical problems might have something to do with the system’s old age.

Many of the substations are more than 40 years old, Ed West, director of planning, design and construction said in a previous Herald story.

The Dogwood substation is supposed to be replaced sometime during the $36 million campus electrical upgrade that is under way, Ault said.

“It’s frustrating especially because we’re paying for this education, and they can’t provide satisfactory service,” Elizabethtown junior Christine Burton said. “But on the other hand students may like the idea of getting out of class.”

Professors can choose to cancel class because of the power outage. But some have decided to teach in the dark or take lessons outdoors.

“You just have to adapt,” said Roger Murphy, a political science instructor who teaches at Grise Hall.

The buildings affected by the power failure include Southwest Hall, Northeast Hall, McLean Hall, Bates-Runner Hall, Wetherby Administration Building, Helm-Cravens Library, Grise Hall, the alumni center, the physical plant, the public safety building and the College Heights Foundation, Ault said.

Reach Josh Buckman at [email protected].</>