11:30 a.m. Friday, April 28:

Spartan Alerts: Garver Hall power shut off in approximately 30 minutes. We will give a 5 minute alert.

9:48 a.m. Friday, April 28:

Dear Campus Community,

Once again we want to thank you for your patience as we work to restore full power to campus. We wanted to provide an update on what is planned for the balance of the day.

Our electrical contractors will be on campus today installing new wire and transformer boxes. Most of this work will be done in the Garver, East Hall, PERC, and Winger areas.  We ask that you please be aware and avoid the work in those areas and use extra caution as you walk to your destination.

At some point during the morning we will be taking power down to Garver Hall and PERC. Garver Hall will be hooked up to a generator while the PERC will be without power for the remainder of the day. We will send RAVE notices approximately 30 minutes and 5 minutes before the power will be disconnected to allow for enough time to prepare.

We anticipate that Garver will be without power for 60 to 90 minutes while the connection to the generator is taking place.  East Hall and East Street Apartments will remain on generator power throughout the day.

As the contractors finish their work we will then need to reconnect those buildings on generators back to main power.  Those buildings will be without power during that process. At this point we cannot determine when that work will be complete.

As we know more throughout the day we will communicate when we will convert those buildings on generator power back to main power and the estimated time to do so.  We thank you in advance for your patience as this process is very fluid and is unpredictable. 

Please continue to watch for updates and alerts during the day today.

Raylene Rospond and Clair Knapp


Raylene M. Rospond PharmD, FCCP
Vice President for Academic Affairs

Clair W. Knapp CPA, CGMA, MBA
Chief Business Officer and Vice President for Finance

7:07 p.m. April 27:

Dear campus community,

Thank you to the students, staff and faculty who were able to attend today’s Town Halls.

Here is the most recent update on power on the east side of campus.

Three generators were brought to campus today to provide temporary power to the East Street Apartments, East Hall, and Garver.

Our absolute top priority is restoring power to residence halls including East Street Apartments.  East Street Apartments currently have power supplied by the generator.

Due to testing, we now anticipate power being restored to East Hall using the generator in the next 60 minutes. 

The current plans for tomorrow (Friday, April 28) include:

• A generator will be connected to Garver Hall.
• Work will begin on the transformers and high voltage lines around 11 a.m.  At that time, power will be turned off to the PERC and
• Garver will be moved onto the generator.  We expect the power to the PERC to be off all day.  We have contacted the faculty holding class in the PERC after 11 a.m. and have provided an alternative classroom when possible.  Faculty with classes scheduled in the PERC at or after 11 a.m. should contact their class about an alternative location or other arrangements.  Outdoor athletic practices may continue at the discretion of the supervisor or coach.
• The power to Garver will be down 60-90 minutes while the hall is moved onto the generator.  Therefore, based on our current estimates Garver would be without power from approximately 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Once all of the work on the transformers and high voltage lines is complete, each residence hall, the PERC, and the Intercultural Center will be brought back on-line.  This has to be done one building at a time. This could occur on either Friday or early Saturday morning. There will be power interruptions when converting each building back onto regular power.

Please watch for further email and alerts over the next few days. 

Raylene Rospond and Clair Knapp

2:32 p.m. April 27:

Dear NM colleagues and students,

It has come to my attention that there is a VIA scheduled for 3:30 p.m. this afternoon.  If you have been directly affected by the power outages and would like information or to ask questions, we will continue to hold the 4- 5 p.m. Town Hall.  We want to be responsive to those most affected by this situation.  We will work with Tate Wooding and the student senate to set up a future Town Hall so that students will have more notice and be able to develop questions.   I hope this information will allow more students to attend the VIA this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. and know they will still have an opportunity to discuss the situation in a future Town Hall.

Have a good afternoon,

Raylene

9:57 a.m. April 27:

Dear NM colleagues and students,

Clair Knapp and I will be holding town halls today in Haist Commons from 12:20 – 12:50 p.m. (between classes) and from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.  During this meeting we will provide a brief status update on power but the focus will be to hear the concerns of students, staff and faculty.  

We look forward to hearing from you as we work together to return the campus to normal operations.

See you in the Switzer Center!

Raylene M. Rospond 
Vice President for Academic Affairs

10:12 p.m. April 26:

Dear NM campus community,

The beautiful spring day was quickly followed by thunderstorms bringing new challenges to our facilities staff.  All residence halls currently have power except for East Hall and East Street Apartments. Power has also been restored to the rest of campus except for the Intercultural Center. The Intercultural Center will not be available for use until power has been restored.   Residents of East Street Apartments should use their alternative housing as indicated in my earlier email.  Residents of East Hall may stay with local family, friends or with friends in other residence halls. East Hall residents may choose to stay in their rooms but please understand that there is no light or power in the building. For your safety, we will have residence hall staff and campus safety rounding in the building throughout the night.  Therefore, please keep the hallways clear and limit activity outside of your room to necessary use of the restrooms. 

The Switzer Center will stay open and available for use of students throughout the evening.  If students have needs or issues they should immediately contact their RA, hall director, or University Safety (extension 5999).

More information will be sent to students of East Hall and East Street Apartments in the morning.  Please check your email early and often.  Classes will be in session tomorrow and all staff should report on their usual schedules. 

Take you for your patience, 

Raylene M. Rospond 
Vice President for Academic Affairs

5:31 p.m. April 26:

Dear NM campus community,

Last night around 9 p.m. you received an update on the work that needed to be done between East Hall and East Street Apartments. The facilities staff has been working diligently throughout the day.  The new transformer has been set and the replacement of the damaged wiring is nearing completion.  A Spartan Alert this evening will provide notice of when to expect a loss of power across campus. At that time, please power down personal electronics and work computers that could be damaged by a power surge.  We expect power to be off for several hours while the new wiring is connected to the transformer.  Once that is complete, power would be brought up to all of the buildings.

During the power loss, the Switzer Center will be open and fully operational to provide food service, study space, and air conditioning for students, faculty and staff.  If students have needs or issues they should immediately contact their RA, hall director, or University Safety (extension 5999).  Generators across campus will provide emergency power only to the Academic Center, Science Center, Helman Hall and Oakwood Hall.   Campus buildings such as the Library and the PERC that do not have power and where safety is compromised will not be available.     

The facilities staff will connect the new wires to the transformer and will then bring up the power to the various buildings.  The estimated time for power to be back up on campus is 10:00 p.m.  Please realize this is an estimate.  Once power is returned to campus, residents of East Street Apartments may return to their homes.  

Please watch for Spartan Alerts and email throughout the evening.  Please plan to hold all classes and normal work hours tomorrow.

Have a restful evening,

Raylene M. Rospond 
Vice President for Academic Affairs

5:31 p.m. April 26: Email sent by Raylene Rospond, vice president for Academic Affairs:

Dear NM campus community,

Last night around 9 p.m. you received an update on the work that needed to be done between East Hall and East Street Apartments.

The facilities staff has been working diligently throughout the day.  The new transformer has been set and the replacement of the damaged wiring is nearing completion.

A Spartan Alert this evening will provide notice of when to expect a loss of power across campus. At that time, please power down personal electronics and work computers that could be damaged by a power surge.  We expect power to be off for several hours while the new wiring is connected to the transformer.  Once that is complete, power would be brought up to all of the buildings.

During the power loss, the Switzer Center will be open and fully operational to provide food service, study space, and air conditioning for students, faculty and staff.

If students have needs or issues they should immediately contact their RA, hall director, or University Safety (extension 5999).

Generators across campus will provide emergency power only to the Academic Center, Science Center, Helman Hall and Oakwood Hall. Campus buildings such as the Library and the PERC that do not have power and where safety is compromised will not be available.

The facilities staff will connect the new wires to the transformer and will then bring up the power to the various buildings.  The estimated time for power to be back up on campus is 10 p.m.  Please realize this is an estimate.  Once power is returned to campus, residents of East Street Apartments may return to their homes.  

Please watch for Spartan Alerts and email throughout the evening.  Please plan to hold all classes and normal work hours tomorrow.

Have a restful evening,



Raylene M. Rospond 
Vice President for Academic Affairs

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8:28 a.m. April 26: Power is being turned back on to buildings now. Give it a few minutes

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Update on North Manchester campus power outage and plans for Wednesday, April 26

Dear NM Campus Community,

This morning you received a Spartan Alert that power was out on campus and that classes had been cancelled for the day.  The loss of power occurred as a result of two issues; a damaged transformer along with damaged high voltage wiring between East Hall and East Street Apartments.  Just before 8 p.m., power was returned to all buildings on campus except East Street Apartments.  Students living in East Street Apartments have been relocated to alternative housing for this evening and are able to receive meals in Haist Commons.

Work will need to be completed tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26 to replace the transformer and high voltage wiring. The power will need to be turned off to the entire campus to replace the high voltage wiring. Our goals are to minimize disruption to the campus community, allow East Street Apartment residents to return to their homes as soon as possible, and to complete this work before the predicted rain begins on Thursday.

In order to meet these goals the following are our plans for Wednesday:

·         After consulting with the College deans, classes for Wednesday will be cancelled.  

·         Buildings will be open and available to faculty, staff and students.

·         Power will be off on-campus from approximately 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. This will allow the facilities staff to set the transformer.

·         NM offices will be open for business and staff should plan to report at 8:30 a.m. 

·         East Hall and East Street Apartments will be without power for the majority of the day to replace the damaged wire.  A campus communication will be sent when power is returned to these residence halls.

·         Power will need to be turned off again in the late afternoon. A campus communication will be sent prior to the power being turned off.  Supervisors will determine based on the time of this outage whether staff will be dismissed.

·         Off campus events and outdoor athletic practices may continue at the discretion of the supervisor or coach.

The Switzer Center will remain open and fully operational to provide food service and study space for students. If students have needs or issues that arise they should immediately contact their RA, hall director or University Safety (extension 5999).

We were blessed with a beautiful day today and many of you enjoyed some time outside. This loss of power was frustrating and I would like to thank everyone for their patience and adaptability.   Thank you to the Success Center and Conference Services that provided space, tables, chairs power cords and other support to students studying and gaming in the upper level of the Switzer Center. Thank you to the Residence Life staff for communicating with and providing support to students especially those that had to relocate tonight.

We continue to be grateful for our hardworking facilities staff who work long hours to ensure that power is returned as quickly as possible. 

Have a restful evening,

Raylene M. Rospond 

Vice President for Academic Affairs

Manchester University