NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — (UPDATE): On Tuesday evening, the power on campus was restored, according to Dillard Univerity President Dr. Rochelle Ford.
The president of Dillard’s Student Government Association, Marissa Pittman, says Ford and her administration have been great partners in addressing the group’s concerns.
“For example, one of them was extending midterms and pushing them back to Monday, and that was able to happen, and then also assignments, making sure that students were not stressed while trying to relocate,” Pittman said.
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Students at Dillard University are speaking out after a power outage has shut down the campus for the second time in barely a week, moving classes online and dorm residents into a hotel.
“I’m a senior, and I’m just trying to pass, and we don’t have wifi,” Raven Ayro said. “I have a hotspot, but unfortunately, my hotspot reached 75%, and I don’t know how I’m going to go the next three days without doing my schoolwork.”
Early Sunday (Feb. 26) morning, the university tweeted that some areas on campus were without power, including the student union, dining hall, and admissions office. Officials say that the campus will remain closed as crews assess the damage and make repairs. Power is estimated to be restored on Wednesday.
“We’re doing a full assessment to see what caused those fuses to blow, and we are in the process of fixing it for long-term sustainability and to resume operations at the university,” Dillard University President Dr. Rochelle Ford said.
We’re told Monday’s classes have been canceled and will move online for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Until then, students living in the residence halls have been moved to the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel with a shuttle transport. Midterms, originally slated for this week, have been rescheduled to next week, according to university officials.
“We wanted to make sure our students had cool places, hot or cold showers, whichever they prefer, and so we have a partnership with the Hilton Riverside,” Dr. Ford said.
This comes only seven days after Dillard was struck by another power outage and a boil advisory that affected multiple Gentilly neighborhoods.
In a statement from the Student Government Association, students are calling on the university to do more in light of the recent problems faced by campus. This includes covering the cost of parking for students temporarily living in the hotel and providing financial support for students who have spoiled groceries as a result of both power outages.
We spoke to campus leaders and students about the issues faced during the outage. Check back to WGNO News at 5, 6, and 10 and online for the latest.