Multiple buildings on campus will lose power on the first weekend of the spring 2018 semester so that electrical repairs can be made.

According to an email from Director of Buildings and Grounds Wendy Yankelitis, the repairs will be made on Saturday, Jan. 20 and affect power in the O’Neill Center for Healthy Families, Loughran Hall, the Athletic Center, the Visual Arts Center, the Center for Architectural Studies, the Insalaco Center for Studio Arts, the Center for Natural and Health Services, Maria Hall, the post office, the Perpetual Help Hall, McCarty Hall and the Learning Commons.

Power will be off in the morning around 7 a.m. and should be restored by 5 p.m., according to Yankelitis.

Yankelitis said there was a problem found with a ground wire on a high voltage feeder this past weekend. In order to safely repair the line, power must be shut down, she said.

According to an email from Dean of Students Ross Novak sent on Jan. 16, the power outage will affect heat and hot water in the respective buildings.

The Shields Center for Visual Arts, Center for Architectural Studies and Insalaco Center for Studio Arts will have card swipe access denied during the repairs.

Specifically for resident students living in Loughran Hall, Novak said it is recommended residents go to other areas on campus not affected by the power outage including Nazareth Student Center, Madonna Hall, Regina Hall and the Woodlands.

“The first thing we did is just verify there was no safety risk to students who were living in the building,” Novak said. “We verified internally and with the Dunmore Fire Department.

Novak said the loss of heat and hot water in Loughran Hall will take place slowly when the power is turned off at 7 a.m.

“People won’t be freezing in their beds at 7 a.m.,” he said.

Additionally, Novak said Loughran residents attended floor meetings for the residence life staff to find which students were staying on campus during the power outage and get a head count of who would need to be accounted for if the power outage lasts longer than the anticipated 5 p.m.

If the repairs last longer on Saturday, Loughran residents will be temporarily relocated and residence life staff would work with space available in Regina or in other dorms on campus, Novak said.

“At this point, we have no indication that we would do that. We’re still optimistically planning for that 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. period,” he said.

Novak said he has been working with SAC to plan events to keep students occupied.

Chief of Campus Safety Mike Pasqualicchio reiterated that the power outage has no safety risk to students. He added that each building has backup generators that can run for 24 hours.

“We’ll have a fire system that’s active and alarms and lighting for all the buildings,” Pasqualicchio said.

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