When a campuswide power outage left Michigan State University’s campus in the dark for nearly seven hours on Sept. 19, the university reacted swiftly, sending emails and coordinating with RA's to get students in and out of dorms in the midst of one of the biggest power outages in MSU’s history. Most classes transitioned to remote learning on Monday, with some departments returning to in-person by Tuesday and others remaining online through the rest of the week.
University administration’s communication has been substantial, with a designated webpage used to post live updates. In emails and a press conference, MSU answered questions like why some buildings received priority over others and why the decision to return to in-person classes varied across colleges. They even provided a multi-stage restoration plan, giving students and faculty a sense of when operations would return to normal.
This excellent performance goes beyond rhetoric: electricity was restored campus-wide shortly after, and while steam and hot water took longer – being restored as of September 29 – the university was capable yet again of supplying resources like mobile shower units, shuttle buses and access to public showers.
The administration’s handling of this issue has been so robust that it raises the question of where this prowess in damage control has been during past times of trouble. When severe weather hit last January, other Michigan universities moved to online classes, while MSU refused to do the same and was obtuse about its rationale.
Even in the most stressful circumstances, a universitywide transition to remote learning is possible. You showed us you can do it, MSU. So when the weather is the thing that gets freezing, show us again.
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