Florida A&M classes going virtual after campus-wide power outage

Classes at the main campus of Florida A&M University will go virtual Thursday as university officials investigate a bizarre campus-wide power outage that plunged the campus into darkness Wednesday evening for about three hours.

"The Facilities Management Team was able to assess the issue with the assistance of the City of Tallahassee and power was restored to all campus buildings with the exceptions of Howard Hall, MS Thomas, Al Lawson Center, and the Field House," the university wrote in an online alert to students at about 9:20 p.m. "To ensure learning continuity while the cause of the outage is further assessed, main campus classes will transition to virtual learning on Thursday, October 17, 2024."

The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering campus was not impacted and will operate under the normal schedule. The rest of main campus will resume normal operations on Thursday for all personnel, excluding the above-mentioned buildings. The FAMU Ticket Office will also be closed on Thursday and tickets may be purchased via Ticketmaster.

If you experience any power-related concerns, please call the Service Response Center at 850-599-3525 or visit: Service Response Center information

A FAMU spokesperson told the Democrat more updates will come when information becomes available.

Florida A&M University experienced a campus-wide power outage on its main campus Wednesday afternoon.

The outage reportedly began somewhere at a about 5 p.m. and continued till about 7:30 p.m.

At about 6:15 p.m., FAMU's Facilities team was preparing to bring the power back up, white trying to identify the source of the issue to make sure the problem does not reoccur, according to a FAMU spokesperson.

"We are currently experiencing a campus-wide power outage," a FAMU Alert message said Wednesday. "Our team is working closely with local officials to resolve the issue quickly. Updates will be provided as the situation develops. Thank you for your patience."

When power was restored, students reported it was flickering on and off.

And although city officials are helping the university resolve the outage, the campus-wide power loss wasn't noted in the Tallahassee Power Outage Map that highlights places in the city where the lights are off.

Contact Tarah Jean at [email protected] or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.