I learned about the power outage while waiting futilely for a bus, so I walked the 30 minutes back to my dorm, anticipating darkness and terror. 

Thankfully, the doors were propped open, with flashlights on the stairs. I took a nap until 7 p.m. and woke up hungry; luckily for me, Case Dining Hall closed at 7 p.m.! 

After two more hours, by the grace of God, I gained enough of a signal to DoorDash some food. The flashlights on the stairs were turned off to conserve energy, which earned me an embarrassing tumble down the stairs when I went to fetch the food. 

Walking back, the people on my floor were making spooky ghost noises. I reflected on the outage in the shower later, as I warmed the water with my tears.

Belle Potter, Police and Public Safety reporter, Brody Hall 

I was off campus while the bulk of the outage occurred, safe under the fluorescent lights of the World Market in the Frandor Shopping Center. Between shifts on the register and stocking our new Christmas products, I checked my phone for the latest update, each message deepening my grimace. 

Because my family was only 10 minutes from campus, I made the executive decision to go home for the night — but only after returning to my dorm to take care of a few tasks. Navigating the pitch-black corridors of Butterfield Hall, with only the dim glow of my phone to guide me, I quickly unplugged every device and snatched up what I needed for the night. I had left within minutes of entering, eager to escape what looked like a scene out of a horror movie.

Even though electricity was restored upon my return the next morning, I had forgotten one crucial loss: no hot water or steam — much to my shock the next day. Waking up to a brisk fall morning, I groggily made my way into the communal showers, looking to freshen up for the day ahead of me. 

After turning the lever, ice-cold water hurled down from the shower head, instantly reminding me of my floor’s GroupMe conversation from the night before:

“Hey, is our water cold?”

“Yes!”

“Freezing.”

And while I was jerked from my tired stupor, I don’t think I’ve ever taken such a quick shower in my life. Also, I was told yesterday I'll have a very similar experience for another five mornings until our hot water is reinstated on Sept. 28. So maybe I’ll just chalk this week up to training for the next Polar Bear Plunge.

Cooper Schwartz, Multimedia Editor, Campbell Hall 

When the power went out on Saturday, I was doing my laundry in Campbell Hall and had to leave it there all day, basically, until I could get it out that night. 

There were probably about 10 of us in the common area when it went out and by the time people started realizing it wasn't just a flicker, there were close to about 25 people in that same common area, some forced to stand due to limited seating in the area. 

Over the following days, it's been interesting adapting to the new lifestyle, and I can't say I totally hate it. 

The cold showers do kind of suck, and finding out that I won't have warm water until this upcoming weekend forced me to switch my mentality to accepting the cold water and allowing it to wake me up in the morning and further energize me for the day. 

Over the past few days, I have noticed I have been feeling more present in my morning classes. However, I wish Michigan State had gone fully remote for the week, because knowing which classes I have in person versus via Zoom versus canceled can be confusing, and I have noticed a drop in attendance in some of my classes because of it. 

I am glad, however, that the Sparty's Market in the Union reopened the next day, because without it, I would have to travel pretty far to get any sort of food, but I am disappointed I wasn't able to use my combos that day to get food before watching the football game.

Lila Tuell, Graphic Designer, Holmes Hall 

When the power first went out, I wasn’t concerned at all. As I walked out of my dorm to get some fresh air, I thought to myself, “They should have this fixed in no time.” No one seemed to be that concerned at first, so naturally, I wasn’t either. 

30 minutes became an hour, one hour became two hours, and before I knew it, it had been five hours without power. My phone was about to die, and I barely had any service. 

Living in East, I was surrounded by other freshmen, and it was clear none of us knew what to do. When the sun went down, it seemed like my whole neighborhood went quiet.

Jaiden Myler, Government and Political reporter, McDonell Hall

I wasn’t in the dorms when the power went out, but I entered West McDonell, soaking wet from the rain and shrouded in darkness. I climbed up five flights of stairs to my room because the elevators were down. The stairwell and hallways leading to my dorm were pitch black. Room doors were open. Inside, residents played board games or assembled puzzles. Curtains were drawn, but shades were open, letting in natural light.

I spent my evening napping and playing a board game my boyfriend made up. I opted to go to a friend’s gathering that night; I didn’t really want to be in my room when the sun fully set. As a woman, I was nervous about an environment with no light, electricity, data, or working emergency stations. I slept at my friend’s house and charged all of my devices, not sure when the power would be restored.

Sunday morning, I walked back to my dorm, soaked from the rain and freezing. I desperately needed to shower. By this point, power was back, but there was still no warm water. I stood in the entrance of my shower and only put my head under the icy water. I was already sick, and didn’t want to chance it getting worse from a freezing shower. I shampooed and conditioned as quickly as possible.

I mostly stayed in my dorm and played video games with friends while we got updates about the causes of the outage, when warm water would return and when classes were canceled or moved online. I didn’t expect to be without power for so long or without warm water for 48 hours. It was kinda cool to see kids exploring buildings and banding together to play games with strangers, but otherwise it was a pretty big inconvenience.