Editor’s note: This story has been updated to provide the approximate time power was restored, and to indicate the status of the Homecoming dance.
Shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 12 a power outage effectively shut down the majority of the Weber State University Ogden campus.
A dispatcher from the Weber County Police Department said that WSUPD believes the blackout was caused by the construction currently underway at the Ogden campus, though an investigation is still ongoing.
Students all across campus were immediately affected, including one student, Alexz Park, who was in the middle of a math exam in the Stewart Library.
“You have to wait a certain standard of minutes for it to come back, and the power just stayed out,” Park said. “We had to write down our information, and they’ll have to email the instructors to explain the situation and prolong the test for an extra day.”
Students and faculty were still working and attending class in the Shepherd Union Building when the power went out, while the Sodexo QuickZone was still open. Because of the power outage, the store was unable to run any transactions.
Shortly thereafter, emergency alarms and an announcement sounded instructing occupants to evacuate the Union building.
Upon being given the go-ahead to re-enter the building, Molly Ward, director of the Shepherd Union building, informed Signpost staff that power would likely not be restored for at least an hour and a half.
Administrators and other faculty for WSU Housing and Residence Life said that Füd, the dining option in the Stewart-Wasatch Residence Hall, is prepared to make sandwiches as a backup meal for students who live in the Wildcat Village. The blackout did not extend to the University Village resident housing.
Also on the docket for tonight is the Homecoming dance, which was scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. in the Union Ballrooms.
According to Malack Mouhammad, the assistant activities vice president for WSUSA, there’s currently no backup venue for the dance, as there has not been an issue similar to this in the past.
WSUSA was still planning on having the dance in the original location, though all options are currently being explored—including moving it to either the Swenson Gym or to an off-campus location.
As of 6:02 p.m., power was restored to the WSU Ogden campus. The Homecoming dance will continue as planned in its original location in the Shepherd Union ballrooms.
