A scheduled power outage swept across campus early Saturday morning, leaving 575 Commonwealth Ave., The Towers, Myles Standish Hall and Bay State Road without electricity for six and a half hours.
The City of Boston notified Boston University of the scheduled power outage set for Saturday, according to an email sent to residents on Nov. 29. The power outage was expected to run from 1 a.m. to as late as 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Tim Hegan, a resident of 575 Commonwealth Ave., commonly known as HoJo, said he and other residents were told that the power outage was part of the ongoing construction at 100 Bay State Rd.
“They were connecting the new building to the grid,” Hegan said.
Five minutes prior to the 1 a.m. deadline, the security staff of several buildings called down the elevators and switched them off so that students would not run the risk of being trapped inside when the power went off.
Students said the power eventually went out at about 2 a.m. and returned at roughly 8:30 a.m.
Residence Life offered flashlights to students throughout the power outage. However, HoJo and several other residences ran out of flashlights before every student received one, students said.
Despite the shortage of supplies, some students said they were not affected by the lack of power.
“I think it was really well timed because people were either asleep or on their way back to the building. I know I was asleep,” said HoJo resident Chris Huang, a sophomore in the College of Engineering.
College of General Studies sophomore Ryan Healy said he did not receive a flashlight and had to rely on the light of his cell phone to navigate in the dark. He said he did not feel inconvenienced because he was on his way to bed when it happened.
However, School of Management sophomore Kate Scott said she had a tough time getting ready for bed since she arrived after the outage started.
“It was too dark, and I had to leave the front door to our room open so I could brush my teeth and change my clothes using the light from the hallway,” Scott said.
The power outage affected students who spent their Saturday night at parties and late-night outings and could not swipe into their buildings upon returning home.
HoJo resident Christian Schlachte, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the security guards had to check his ID card manually because the scanners were not working.
“It was really dark when I got back and there weren’t any emergency lights on. It felt unsafe,” Schlachte said.
Scott said she was able to swipe in electronically, but that she did not receive a flashlight.
“Our RA sent an email saying we could get them from the RHA office, but I don’t know how many they actually had for students to use,” she said. “In Myles, though, the stairwells and halls were lit with an emergency generator so it was only dark in the rooms.”
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