Two days after a lightning strike sent Murray State University into a power outage, students and parents express concerns over how the University handled the situation.
Power to most dorms was restored around 12:00 a.m. Saturday. However, RH White Hall and Regents Hall remain without power and have closed for residence. The Wellness Center is also closed due to lack of power.
Residents of White and Regents halls were asked to leave the dorms by 8 p.m. Sunday and apply for or find alternative housing. Students have been given temporary housing in other available dorms during the closure. The Housing Office said power would most likely be restored later in the week.
RH White Hall and Regents Hall are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day for students to retrieve their belongings. Overnight visitations are also allowed throughout the week in all other campus dorms.
“(The power outages) affect the emotional state because you’re sitting in a dark room all day,” said Chirsten Stanley, junior wildlife biology major. “You can’t take a shower because the water is cold. And then you can’t do homework because you don’t have power. I don’t know, I hate it.”
Stanley, an RH White resident, later said the move out announcement was stressful and short notice. Stanley said the email announcing the move out only arrived at 5 p.m., three hours before she was required to leave. She did not see the email until 30 minutes later when she awoke from a nap. Packing up for the move out was made difficult due to the lack of light and her phone being dead.
Stanley found housing with a friend in College Courts. She said she wished the University provided more accommodations during times like this, such as power charging stations in the dorms. She also said move-outs like this could be hard for students with emotional support animals who need new housing.
“I guess I’m happy a lot of people I know have a place,” Stanley said. “Everyone had friends, but some people don’t.”
Lillie Allen, freshman exercise science major and Hester resident, said the power outage has been an inconvenience. Allen said she respected how hard the University worked to get the power back on, but said they could be better at communicating with students.
“They are doing their best,” Allen said. “Obviously, you can’t control the weather, so I don’t blame them for it happening. But I feel like they could be better at communicating and stuff like that. Just in general, not just with this.”
Hayden Thomas, freshman psychology major and RH White resident, said the current situation was rough. Thomas said he had returned from a trip Sunday to discover the blackout on campus. A few hours after he returned, he received the email that White was closing.
Thomas said he decided to stay home in Paducah because of the possibility of classes being closed this week due to the weather.
“I was kind of upset that it was a whole forced move-out, because we haven’t done that before and this is the third power outage we’ve had so far,” Thomas said. “But I understood, and I was just happy I had somewhere to go.”
Thomas said he was fine with the way the University handled the situation. He said he was glad the University was able to offer extra housing and said the way they went about it was respectful.
Parents have also voiced their concerns on the current situation. Jon Keck is a father to a sophomore student who was required to move out of their dorm Sunday. Keck said he has no doubts the University is working diligently to restore power, but that he is not satisfied with the University’s communication throughout the blackout.
“From this parent’s perspective, who lives five and half hours away in another state, the reliability of official information and its timeliness this past weekend seemed to be lacking,” Keck said. “I was seeing quicker updates about the status of the basketball games on Saturday and Sunday than information on what was happening with student housing.”
Keck said it was important for the University to have clear communication with students because gaps and delays in communication can lead to rumor and speculation. He pointed to two long gaps between official emails on Saturday and Sunday as examples of the University’s slow communication. He said he hopes the University improves on their communication strategies and timeliness in the future.
For updates on the power outage and adverse weather, view the RacerAlert page at https://www.murraystate.edu/about/Offices/police/racerAlert/index.aspx
