A single squirrel proved mightier than the local power grid on Feb. 9, sparking a mid-afternoon power outage that forced the closure of the Ammerman Building for more than a day.
The outage, which was discovered to be the work of a rogue rodent that afternoon, occurred when the animal came into contact with power lines, blowing a critical electrical switch. The resulting loss of electricity left administrators and staff in the dark, leading to an evacuation of the campus’s administrative hub for more than a day.
Irene Rios, Ammerman Campus CEO and executive dean, confirmed the reason for the outage in an email to Compass News.
Employees were instructed to either work remotely or relocate to the campus library to complete mandatory online training.
The Office of Information Technology Services provided support for staff utilizing personal devices to ensure administrative tasks continued despite the physical building being off-limits.
The timing of the incident resulted in minimal academic disruption. No classes were in session as faculty and staff from across all campuses attended instructional sessions in the Shea Theatre and Islip Arts Building.
“Fortunately, [Feb. 10] was Professional Development Day, so there was no impact to students from the building closure on that day,” Rios noted.
