A long line of students formed outside of the cafeteria doors after Saga Inc. lost 90 percent of its capacity to produce hot food when the power went out around dinnertime on Thursday, Feb. 6.
“Thank God we’ve got gas in here,” Saga General Manager Kevin Kirwan said.
Staff was able to rely on gas-powered appliances and a web of extension cords to continue serving meals to students.
“Things have been a little crazy around here, but we’ve been able to pull it off so far. With the help of extension cords, we are up to about 40 percent now,” Kirwan said.
One of the main transformers that supplies energy to the appliances in Saga has stopped working.
A.J.’s Cafe was also affected, closing early on Feb. 6 due to a power shortage.
“The guys on the maintenance team are supermen. They have been outside in that freezing cold since 7 a.m. They actually had to hand shovel their way through the snow just to get to where they needed to work,” Kirwan said.
Staff have found unique ways to cope with the power problems. Non-toxic canned fuel sits at the bottom of food warmers to keep meals hot. A web of extension cords provides enough power to keep the drink machines and student identification number check-in open. Coffee is made in Curtiss Dining Hall and then transported to the student union.
Maintenance will continue to work on the transformer until it is at full working capacity. However, as of today, they cannot provide a definitive time that the power will be restored.
