A series of power outages – both intentional and the result of malfunctioning equipment – have hit Main Campus academic buildings and residence halls in the first week of classes.

Sixteen buildings lost power at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, when a new, 38,000-volt circuit breaker malfunctioned, said Syracuse University Spokesman Kevin Morrow.

Morrow called the event a ‘freak mechanical failure.’ Power was restored to the buildings before 6 a.m.

A switch also needed to be reset later that night at Eggers Hall, Morrow said.

The planned power outages started at 10 p.m. Tuesday in buildings across campus, he said. A bulletin was released to warn students of the outages, which only lasted a few minutes.

The blackout was part of a series to complete a major upgrade to the campus electrical system, Morrow said. A new electrical substation is being installed to handle the needs of both new and old buildings, including the Life Sciences Complex and Newhouse III.

No future power outages are planned, Morrow said.

‘The Office of Campus Planning, Design and Construction and the project team have been working hard to anticipate problems and complete this project,’ Morrow said.

Though Morrow said he knew of no reported complaints, students in the residence halls affected by the outages are moderately upset about the outages.

‘They suck,’ said freshman Olivia Thompson, a Sadler Hall resident. She said the power outages disrupted her while doing homework.

Another Sadler resident, freshman Alex Brozdowski, said he knew some students who were late for classes Tuesday morning because the power outage had reset their alarm clocks.

‘It hasn’t affected me personally,’ Brozdowski said. ‘Everything runs on battery – my laptop, cell phone. And I brought a flashlight.’

Jackie Turner, who lives in Boland Hall, said she did not experience any outages, but uses her cell phone as an alarm clock just in case.

Published on August 30, 2007 at 12:00 pm