Update 7:25 p.m. Thursday: Classes will remain canceled through Friday according to an announcement issued by President Stephen Perez. This follows a power outage resulting from a cut power-line.
“The University will remain in modified operations through the weekend, building closures will continue and all classes on Friday are canceled,” Perez said.
All on-campus events on Friday are canceled. This includes admission tours.
Basic Needs will be hosting a pop-up pantry on Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its normal location in the Student Services Center.
Two performances are also affected by the campus closure:
- The Magic of Kevin Spencer: “Magic for Everyone!” has been relocated to Faith Lutheran Church.
- Performances of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical are canceled.
“We know that unexpected events on campus can be problematic for many reasons and apologize for whatever challenges the power outage has created,” Perez said.
Langdon Engineering Center, the Wildcat Recreation Center and the parking structure at First and Cherry may remain closed past Sunday.
Classes in Langdon may be assigned an alternative location or held virtually. Students are encouraged to check Canvas and University updates for more information.
The email advises students to check chicowildcats.com for updates on this weekend’s volleyball and soccer matches, as locations and times will likely change.
Some university buildings will remain open. These include residence halls, Estom Jamani Dining, WellCat Health Center and WellCat Counseling Center’s 24/7 hotline.
The Orion will post updates as new information is released.
—
The streets and buildings of Chico State University were mostly empty following a campus-wide power outage that ended classes Thursday morning.
Students were a mixture of confused and bored amidst the class cancellations.
First-year mechatronic engineering student Cal Matthews was driving by campus and witnessed the massive exodus of students right after the announcement.
“There were a lot of people, about 40 per traffic light cycle, crossing Ivy Street within about a minute,” Matthews said.
First-year civil engineering student Eleanor Gervais was in their dorm — which was unaffected — when the outage occurred.
Gervais missed out on two classes, both discussion sections. Their professors accommodated the outage by pushing deadlines back to the next class.
There was also a moment of confusion for Gervais when the notification to vacate all buildings on campus due to safety concerns was initially sent out.
The notification did not specify that the evacuation did not apply to dorms. Gervais spoke to the receptionist at their dorm, who clarified that dorm students did not need to evacuate.
Luckily for second-year applied music student Josh Hurst, the only class he had today finished before the power went out.
However, he was planning to check out a portable recorder from Meriam Library for an assignment due later this semester.
Hurst — upon seeing that the library was closed — decided to sit outside for a few hours and read a book.
“All the normal places students hang out, like the library or Bell Memorial Union, are closed,” Hurst said. “There’s nothing to do.”
Anthony Vasek can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].
