Problems with an underground cable caused a blackout at some University buildings last night from approximately 5:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
The outage affected George, Thayer and Hope streets and Young Orchard Avenue, according to National Grid spokesman David Graves. Only Brown-owned buildings were affected, since the problematic cable exclusively services the University.
The Herald received reports that Keeney Quadrangle, Graduate Center, Vartan Gregorian Quad and Wriston Quadrangle were among the affected dormitories. The Sharpe Refectory also lost power.
Graves said the Department of Facilities Management was in charge of restoring power. Facilities staff could not be reached for comment.
Students coming to the Ratty for dinner had to write down their Brown ID numbers, because they could not swipe into the dining hall. Brown University Dining Services employee Trevor Covey '14, whose usual responsibility is to ensure that there are enough to-go containers at the entrance, said his shift "passed a lot more quickly" as he assisted diners with the makeshift sign-in process. When the line became unmanageable, workers let some students enter for free, he added.
Several students in the Ratty cheered and applauded when the power returned. Others enjoyed the outage while it lasted. "It was like camping out," said Angela Straccia '14. "It was kind of fun."
