Students share concern after SEMO announces planned power outage during heat advisory
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Students of Southeast Missouri State University are sharing concern after they say they received an email stating there would be a planned power outage on Saturday on most of SEMO’s campus during one of the hottest weeks of the year.
Seeing it’s going to be all of campus. We’re going to have no power, no water, no Wi-Fi, which isn’t a deal breaker. I‘d prefer it not, but it’s not a deal breaker, but what really got to me was an email they sent today, earlier today that now fire alarms will be impacted” says SEMO Student Hunter Heimburger.
According to the email the planned power outage would affect power, ac, water supply, ac units and fire alarms. Heimburger shares no ac during a heat advisory could be detrimental to the health of some students.
“I believe that they should have at least, like, made a contingency plan. Like, if this happens, what should we do? Or have, like one building on main campus on backup power” says Heimburger.
Stephen Schultheis is the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success he explains the planned power outage is crucial for electrical repairs and the part has taken two years to be ready and arrive.
“We actually had a wildlife intrusion in one of our voltage distributors, and it caused a nine-hour, shutdown of power at that time and so since then, of course, we’ve been working to have this repaired” says Schultheis.
Schultheis says they planned the outage for Labor Day weekend because many students go home, and backup generators are now being made available to each building along with one elevator and running water.
Schultheis also says the outage will be much shorter than originally planned and options are being rolled out to students.
“What was initially rolled out to the campus as potentially an eight-hour outage is actually down to a four-hour outage and we’re optimistic that it might even be shorter than that overall. So, we’ve put some plans in place to make sure that students have things to do, that they’re accommodated and so we will be running shuttles to our river campus, which is not impacted, we will make sure there’s activities for them to go on there. We’ve got food service going on over there and a lot of engagement opportunities for them” says Schultheis.
