Lights Out at DSU, but Students Power Through!
Danielle Rowe
DSU students and faculty experienced darkness on Tuesday morning of March 23, after an unexpected city power outage. The dim and dreary morning began at approximately 8:15 a.m. when utility lines were unable to properly operate caused by a rainstorm. The power outage affected the electric circuits within surrounding neighborhoods of Washington Avenue where the campus of DSU is located, along with Chicago Avenue, and the N.W. 9th Street area.
Students that lived in the power-damaged area, could not access their Wi-Fi Internet connections, which led to some morning panic. On campus, the dorms had emergency lighting, but the outlets and Internet were unable to function.
Since DSU relies heavily on electronic technology within the classroom, the majority of classes were canceled. This allowed relief among many students, especially when their previously scheduled class had a D2L test or quiz that could not be accessed due to not having Internet.
However, some classes did not let the power outage stop their test taking. When the power went out in Beadle Hall, Professor Nancy Moose was giving an exam distributed on paper for her 8:00 a.m. Applied Grammar class. Students within the class began their test before the power went out. When the lights went out, Professor Moose insisted that the power outage would not get in the way of the class testing.”Even though the power was out, Professor Moose came up with a creative solution to help us continue on, and it was a unique way of completing the test,”said Cortney Slaight about her exam. This solution allowed light that was generated from their laptops to shine upon the examination questions and guide them to a successful finish.
As the noon hour approached, city electricians restored the power outage. With power back on, afternoon classes resumed and DSU students were no longer left in the dark.
Dr. Moose is like the energizer bunny, ready to power through any obstacle.