Power outages cause inconveniences
througiiout campus lately
Many factors have contributed to the abundance of power outases experienced on campus
since the semester^s start.
LADONNA LOGUE
News Editor
Power outages have
become a frequent headache
for the campus over the past
few weeks. According to
Facilities Services, some of
these were planned, but oth
ers were accidental.
According to Greg
Ahrendson, school project
manager, many of these out
ages have been the result of
the high incidences of light'
ning strikes near campus.
Ahrendson said, "We have
had an unusually high num
ber of lightning storms this
year."
It has also been rumored
that some of these outages
are the result of a trans
former blowing. A trans
former's main purpose is to
change the voltage of
power. Usually, power lines
have extremely high volt
age, and a transformer is
required to lower the volt
age so that it is usable by
homes and businesses. A
blown transformer is simply
one that no longer works.
Patty Blackwell of
Facilities Services said that
these outages are problem
atic for everyone. "Phones
will not work, hot water dis
appears, and many comput
ers around campus must be
re-programmed after the
power has returned," she
said.
Junior Christen Higgins
also remembers problems
caused by past power out
ages. "I was unable to get
into my dorm because with
out electricity, the CamCard
entry would not work," she
said.
So far this semester, the
campus has experienced
three power outages. On the
first day of classes, August
21, the campus lost power,
possibly due to a lightning
strike which may have been
direct or indirect.
Ahrendson said that this
was the first power outage
the campus experienced
since Hurricane Bonnie in
2000. In order to regain
power, CP&L had to come
to campus to turn the system
back on.
The second power outage
occurred the following
Saturday. CP&L once again
came to campus and turned
the power back on.
The third power outage
was Tuesday, September 4.
This power outage was the
longest in duration.
Ahrendson said, "This is
when we realized that it was
a much more complicated
problem."
Facilities Services decided
to check every sub switch
on campus for any damage
which could consequently
cause periodic power out
ages. The resuh of this cam-
pus-wide search was one
element located in a switch
box behind the Cate Center
that was fused and melted,
possibly due to a lightning
strike. In order to repair the
switch box, the power need
ed to remain off while a new
switch was acquired and
wired into the system.
In addition to these unex
pected power outages, dates
and times have been posted
around campus to inform
everyone of upcoming pre
planned outages. These will
be caused by preventative
maintenance on switchgears
for building systems and
also due to construction
projects.
Switchgears are massive
circuit breakers that switch
the power from one circuit
to another. Generally, they
are fused so that if there is a
voltage surge, the switch
will automatically trip and
turn itself off. The construc
tion projects could be the
new Science and
Mathematics Building or
smaller projects such as a
new dryer being wired into
the costume shop for the
theatre department.
The most recent of these
scheduled outages was last
Thursday, September 12.
The initial problem was
with a blown breaker for
Belk Dining Hall and the
boiler room. This also
affected Jones, Wainwright,
Johnson, Barefoot, Heilman
and Noel House because
these buildings run off the
same system.
The breaker itself did not
cause the power outage. The
power was turned off so that
the switch could be isolated,
and disconnected and the
new one rewired. Workers
are unable to work on the
system while the power is
still running.
Unfortunately, if there is a
power outage in the boiler
room, there is no hot water
for the campus. Senior
Crystal Whitley recalled,
"No one was able to shower
without hot water. lin addi
tion, it made it very difficult
to get work done."
"I was unable to write a
paper for homework,"
Whitley said. She added,
"Everybody has things to
do. Having no power makes
everyone get behind."
On the inside:
See if you agree with our staff Learn at>out a proposed
writer about September 11th Meet the new athletic director Medieval Studies Minor
and our freedom of speech Page 8 Page 2
Page 5