Ike-Related Power Outages Prompt Student Sit-in
Students at Miami University in Ohio organized a Monday sit-in on the president's lawn, protesting the return to classes Tuesday, chanting "How can we study if we can't see?" and "No power, no class." The campus had not had power since Sunday, after a Hurricane Ike-related windstorm knocked out electricity in the Oxford and Cincinnati areas. Class on Monday had already been cancelled, the Miami Student reports.
Protesting students complained that they didn't receive sufficient guidance on where to shower and study during the power outage. "We just wanted to talk, we wanted some reasons," said one of the protest organizers. "We thought they were only focusing on on-campus students, when most of the campus doesn't live on campus."
The sit-in was planned as a small event, but thanks to some virulent word-of-mouth advertising, the event ballooned to include around 3,000 students, police estimate.
The protest turned somewhat violent at times and did not result in the cancellation of classes. The university did, however, start a blog for students to address concerns and suggest ideas.
Several other Midwest schools, mostly in Indianaand Kentucky, have been affected, including the flooded Indiana University-Northwest and Purdue University-Calumet campuses, as well as Hanover College and four Ivy Tech Community College campuses, which lost power and suffered building damage because of winds. The University of Louisville cancelled class between 7 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m. Wednesday to clean up debris, while nearby Bellarmine University has closed the campus through Thursday because it still did not have power.
Tags: students | Indiana University | Miami University | University of Louisville | natural disasters | Purdue University
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Reader Comments
man, critical people.
Unfortunately for people in the "real world" you don't really realize how important computers are on our campus. And guess what? When you don't have power guess what you don't have access to? That's right, I forgot, you guys probably work in places that don't require any technical expertise and can work without power.(Digging ditches!) I mean, I understand the argument if the classes were book based classes that didn't require power, but it's unlikely that for me, a computer science student, to really learn a ton about a computer, without one.
and sorry about the alarm clock, but most people don't use wind-ups anymore. . .
basically all I'm really trying to say is, stop being pricks because of some broad judgments based on a schools prior reputation. It's as idiotic as racism. . . only sounds more like "ageism" + sexism. 1000/17,000 . . . yeah, that's I dunno, a pretty high overestimate of those actually protesting.. and that's what.. a little over 5% of the population?
Get real. Maybe instead of being dickfishs, I dunno, offer to help those fellow humans in need? College students are people too, with real refrigerators, filled with real food, that was bought with real money, that is now in the garbage. Not all of whom have money.
Oh yeah, and I forgot, you also know nothing about our campus! The sorority girls (who notoriously have the miami girl prissy appeal) Were the ones WITH power. (Since they are forced to live on campus...) Maybe had you known that you wouldn't go ape on those protesters. Guess what, there are still people without power, you don't see these people still protesting? Approximately 10% of the people who go to school here still don't have power.. and that's a modest estimate.
I'm not going to defend the stupid people that didn't even realize that the protest was in vain because the president wasn't even on campus... But the problem is that you people think that all college students are drunken idiots, and that's just a flat lie. I hate stupid generalizations.
Can't set your cell phone to wake you up in time for your 11:00 class? Can't blowdry the hair? Not enough light in the bathroom to get the eyeliner on symmetrically? Laptop dry, and no way to take notes? Oh, what terrible hardship. Certainly classes should be cancelled, it's inconceivable to think that learning can occur under such savagely brutal circumstances.
Miami students live up to their mollycoddled notoriety. Way to go, weenies!
What a waste
These wussies will get a real surprise when in the real world their boss won't give them the day off just because the lights went out.
You don't need lights to dig a ditch.
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