Shippensburg University crews are working to fully restore power after a campus-wide outage that began over the weekend, following a fire at an on-campus electrical substation. The outage has disrupted normal operations, canceling in-person classes for both Monday and Tuesday.
The university is currently operating on generator power, with residence halls, dining facilities, and other essential services prioritized for electricity. According to Local 21 News, limited staff returned to campus on Tuesday (April 28), and some on-campus events have been moved to alternate venues.
Megan Silverstrim, the university’s communications and marketing director, told FOX43 that "Our dining hall was always on generator power, so the entire time, we’ve been able to shelter and feed students, which was our top priority." Generators have been attached to every residence hall and are being monitored to ensure student safety and comfort.
University officials say crews are making progress on repairs and plan to begin testing the restored power today (Tuesday, April 28). This testing phase will require short, staggered power disruptions in campus buildings. Once the testing is complete and full power is confirmed, the generators will be removed, according to updates posted on the university’s official website.
There has been no announcement yet on whether in-person classes will resume on Wednesday. The university is preparing contingency plans in case full power is not restored before finals next week, with officials expressing optimism about a return to normal operations soon.
Students and staff are encouraged to monitor the university website and email for ongoing updates about the outage and campus reopening plans.