Michigan State University has moved classes online on Monday, 21 September, after a campus-wide power outage left much of its East Lansing campus without hot water and disrupted dining facilities.
The outage struck on Saturday, 19 September, and lasted several hours. Although electricity has been restored to most of the campus, the university said problems with its heating and cooling systems were continuing to affect residence halls, educational buildings and dining facilities.
Michigan State said a failure at a central connection point at the T.B. Simon Power Plant cut off the supply needed to generate electricity and steam. The plant serves more than 100 buildings through the university’s steam distribution network.
About 80% of the campus’s building space relies on steam for hot water, including student accommodation and dining halls. The university said it was adapting its dining operations so students living on campus could continue to access food while restoration work continued.
Online instruction and remote working for most staff will remain in place on the East Lansing campus until 11pm on Monday. Events and activities are being assessed individually, while the university’s Veterinary Medical Centre has also closed for the day because of continuing systems disruption.
Michigan State said generators had been deployed during the outage to prioritise safety, security and emergency response. Crews from its facilities teams have been working with utility partners to restore normal steam and hot-water services.
