As I reflect on the power outage of Sept. 19, I am mindful of what a strong demonstration it was of MSU’s “One Team” mentality to move mountains for student success. I must give a huge shout out to all the individuals who responded in various ways to address the situation, support campus and students, and communicate so clearly and transparently throughout the process. While many people supported the campus community in countless ways, I do want to make sure to specifically thank a few areas; I am not sure if everyone on campus is aware of all that was done to support students over the last week and a half.
First, Adam Lawver and the rest of the Infrastructure Planning and Facilities team. I must say, before this situation, I did not know much about the campus steam tunnels, except on a cold day they radiated some nice heat through their manholes. Throughout the last week Adam has done a tremendous job in countless meetings updating the campus and explaining the required work, the challenges, and the needs of his staff in ways that made sense to a clueless administrator like me. I always felt fully aware of what was happening, why the plan was the way it was, and informed enough to communicate that to my team. Additionally, the entire IPF team involved in the repair cannot get enough credit for the incredibly long days they spent carefully and intentionally getting the steam back running across campus. I deeply appreciate their work.
Second, I am so appreciative of the Residential and Hospitality Services team for ensuring students were able to get nutritious meals, had a safe space to sleep and knew what was going on. Rebecca Selesky’s quick pivot of food menus to address the difficult cooking situations and the work of the lead chefs and their teams was remarkable to watch. The way they were able to change direction within hours, plan delicious meals, and make sure students’ dietary needs were met was noteworthy and clearly demonstrated their commitment to students.
Additionally, Ray Gasser and the Residence Education and Housing Services team did a fantastic job checking in on students, ensuring buildings were locked and safe when the power went out, and that students’ power-related medical needs were addressed (shout out to the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities team for their support on this work as well). I should also thank all the resident assistants who did frequent rounds at the start of the power outage to make sure their residents were okay. The communication to residents and families and supporters through the parent Facebook page was also superb thanks to the great work of Kat Cooper and her team. I heard great things from students and families about feeling fully aware of the situation because of the frequent and detailed communication updates. I also want to recognize the great work of the Department of Police and Public Safety who pulled in staff to patrol during the outage, ensured emergency lights were put up, and helped keep residence halls safe and locked.
I also must recognize our tremendous faculty, instructors, and academic leadership. Our faculty quickly turned to virtual instruction on Monday the 21st and for many additional days after. I heard stories of many faculty who brought in treats for their students if meeting in person, and countless instructors who took time out of their lesson plan to check in with students and see how they were doing. Many gave additional time for assignments or pushed back quizzes to allow students to be at their best. All of this is so important in not only allowing students to succeed academically, but for building strong relationships with their faculty and creating a sense of belonging—both key factors linked to retention, graduation, and success. Our academic leaders and deans also quickly made decisions related to course modality, research needs, and student support. They communicated clearly and frequently, so students were aware of what was going on and where they could get support if needed.
The frontline and administrative student support staff need recognition as well. I had the honor of presenting at the Academic Advising Collective a few days after the power outage, and as I noted to them, we know many students go to their advisors for all needs, no matter if it is related to academics or advising. Questions I heard students ask included, “is my class online today?” or “when will I have hot water in my building?” Thank you for all you did to support students and answer all the questions they came to you with, and for getting them connected to resources.
When we speak of student support professionals, I must recognize the tremendous work of our Student Affairs team. The countless staff on the team who reached out to students, provided support, and ensured they had places to be like the Multicultural Center and the MSU Union. I also want to thank Neil Romanosky and the Library team for their work opening the library and giving students a space to study and hangout.
Last but not least, thank you to our amazing communications team at University Communications and Marketing, senior leaders and Emergency Operations Center members. Thank you for your quick decision making, balancing various competing needs, and keeping students at the center of your thinking. Thank you to UCAM for quickly standing up a website with updated information, sending countless emails to campus on progress and ensuring our community was aware of what was happening.
I am sure there are countless other individuals I have failed to mention, so please know it is merely to avoid writing a three page article. I appreciate all the work everyone on campus did over the last week—it truly was a One Team approach focused on student safety, wellbeing, and success!
