Emergency lights lit up the student union on Feb. 22, as A.J.’s Cafe shut down early and most of campus went dark. Maggie Hroncich | Collegian

Hillsdale College canceled classes because of weather for the first time since 2019, after an ice storm left campus in a near-total blackout and hundreds of thousands in the state without power. 

“It is always a challenge for the college to make the decision to cancel, and we do not like to cancel,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Diane Philipp. “Our purposes are to teach and learn and our faculty prepare carefully for every hour they teach, and it is not easy to make up that precious face-to-face time in the classroom.”

Philipp said the college made the decision to cancel classes early on the morning of Feb. 23 because the entire city was without power except buildings with generators. Classes were also canceled on Feb. 24, as classroom buildings remained without power early Friday. 

“We knew there was a storm coming, but it was predicted to hit north of us,” Philipp said. “It is difficult to realize the outcome of bad weather as the disruption is happening, which is why we wait until we know more before canceling.” 

Students said they were not surprised the college canceled classes.

“If you asked me Wednesday afternoon if I thought that class would get canceled the next day, I’d say that sounded absurd,” senior Rachel Warren said. “But by around 4 p.m. I could tell the conditions were not good and after the power outage that night, I wasn’t surprised to see the email Thursday morning that class was canceled.”

Although the college has canceled for bad weather in the past, it is rare, and Philipp said this situation was unique.

“Typically the roads and sidewalks are a much bigger issue, this time it was the power lines and ice build up in the trees, which can be dangerous on our campus where we enjoy so many large trees,” Philipp said. “It can take just seconds for a large limb to fall, which can be very dangerous.” 

The buildup of ice on the power lines made this storm different from other ice storms in the past. Philipp said the college was told that a major city transformer blew, which interrupted power extensively across campus and throughout the city. 

The ice on the power lines caused a number of poles and power lines to break, and replacing poles takes much longer to repair when the ground is frozen, Philipp said. 

As the outage left dorms and residence halls without heat, the college brought in emergency generators.

“Executive Director of Facilities David Billington made the decision to purchase additional generators as the extent of the disruption of power was more extensive this time and the generators were needed,” Philipp said. 

On the night of Feb. 22, the sewer pump at the bottom of the hill by Slayton Arboretum also broke, Philipp said. The city had a crew for two days in that area to avoid a sewer back up at the college.

“Everyone was really glad that classes were canceled,” junior Anna Bassols said. “I know that Hillsdale waits until the last second to cancel classes, but with all the chaos and many professors commuting in from out of town, this was definitely the safest option.”

Bassols said it was very helpful that maintenance installed generators because it made it possible to keep in touch with parents. 

Warren saw many students remain calm Thursday, treating the day off as a fun snow day. She said her roommate brought out her Keurig so they could make coffee, and they hooked up their Wii and invited friends over to play Mario Kart.

“Noon Mass at St. Anthony’s was also memorable, because although they didn’t have power, Mass went on by candlelight, and it was so quaint and lovely,” Warren said. 

Junior Chris Dick said the Suites had a meat party where everyone got their meat that would’ve expired grilled it outside. 

Dick said maintenance staffers helped everyone with generators, and students had access to the cafeteria. He said the food on Thursday was not bad considering the power was lost. 

“It was your average fried food and pizza,” Dick said. “It went quickly as people who went closer to noon were only able to get burgers.”

Much credit and thanks belongs to the college’s maintenance crew and food service staff as they worked hard for hours keeping students safe, warm, and fed, Philipp said.