The Concordian

Snow and high winds at Concord University caused major power outages in December. [Click to enlarge]

The fall 2009 semester came to a surprising end when power went out on campus and around the state for numerous days in December.

On Wednesday, December 9, elevators in North and South Towers were shut down due to high winds. This was only the beginning, however, and later that afternoon all campus buildings were completely without power.

The campus began by cancelling classes that night and for the next day, and many students travelled to their homes or stayed with friends who had power. The next day, limited power was restored and was directed to the residence halls for those students remaining on campus, according to a university press release.

American Electric Power and the CU maintenance staff continued to work to restore power to the rest of the buildings on campus.

Residence hall staff and the Office of Public Safety worked nonstop to help the students left on campus to be safe and comfortable.

Aramark, though at first hindered by the power outage and unable to cook on Wednesday night, was soon able to again provide meals.

But with limited power, classes on Friday were cancelled as well. Despite the unexpected problems, final exams went as scheduled. That is, until Friday, when a snow storm was predicted to hit in the afternoon.

This caused the university to cancel all exams after 2 p.m., and if students had earlier exams but felt the need to leave, they could choose to postpone any 11:30 exams until after the break.

These students received an “incomplete” grade for the class and are expected to contact their instructors to reschedule the exam.

“As a result of the impending weather, additional precautionary steps have been taken including modification to the exam schedule. In a spirit of cooperation and a student-centered agenda, our faculty is working with students individually to satisfy course requirements,” Concord University President Gregory F. Aloia said in a press release.

In addition, the commencement ceremony scheduled on Saturday, December 19, was cancelled due to the weather. “Concord University recognizes commencement as a focal point of the academic calendar, but our priority in making this decision is the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff and guests,” Concord University Interim Vice President for Advancement Greg Quick said in a press release. Quick invites any fall graduates to attend the spring ceremony in May 2010.

All other weekend events were also cancelled, and campus was again closed on Monday, December 21, due to the inclement weather.

However, Concord was not

the only place affected by the winter weather. At the worst point, about 220,000 people in the state were without power, according to AEP. Saturday morning, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin declared a state of emergency, allowing special resources to be directed to affected areas.

On Friday and Saturday, the southbound lanes of the West Virginia Turnpike were at a standstill for 26 hours after numerous accidents due to the road conditions. During this time, the National Guard delivered food, water, and supplies to stranded drivers.

Not until December 29 did AEP announce that power had been restored to every home in the state. They explained that poles were broken, wires were down, and the high winds and snow continued to affect more people even after they had restored power to many.

For more information on the power outages, visit www.aep.com.

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