Students living in the University Center dorms were cut off from Wi-Fi for most of the weekend after an outage Saturday morning, Sept. 6, leaving many unable to connect to the Internet to complete assignments that were due.
The University Center Housing Office told residents in an email that the outage was caused by equipment failure at the AT&T Chicago data center. The office said a replacement part was being “rush-shipped.”
“I have five classes with assignments that are due, and I want to cry,” said junior illustration major Taj Tillman. “I want to cry so badly because I can’t do anything. I need stuff done right now because if I miss out on this, I’m going to explode.”
The outage also disrupted other services, including package delivery lockers, flex dollars for the market, phone lines, printing and visitor sign-in. Students with meal plans, however, still had access to the cafeteria because cards were logged manually.
The University Center houses 1,700 students from Columbia, DePaul and Roosevelt universities, according to the college.
Some students had midnight deadlines on Saturday and Sunday night, Sept. 7.
“I have an assignment due literally tonight, and I can’t do it whatsoever,” said Leia Jones, a junior marketing major. “I have to rely on my hotspot, and it’s been stopping me from doing things. It sucks.”
Students in “Smartphone Audio,” an asynchronous course in the School of Communication and Culture, were told that if they didn’t turn in the first assignment due at midnight on Sunday, they would be dropped.
The Student Center was open until 8 p.m. on Saturday but, like all other campus buildings, was closed on Sunday.
The nearby Harold Washington library closed at 5 p.m. on Sunday, leaving students to rely on hotspots, cellular data or find another place to get online work done.
Some students set up in the Dunkin’ Donuts on the corner of Harrison and Wabash streets. A Chronicle reporter observed students on laptops until 3 a.m. early Sunday morning.
The management office at the University Center was closed over the weekend, and the college’s Housing and Residential Experience office did not respond to email.
Emmet Montiel, a senior music major, expressed frustration at the timing of the outage as they typically use weekends to get their homework done.
“It’s a Sunday. Even libraries are closing early,” they said. “I’m gonna try to go out and get some work done but, realistically, I don’t know if I’m gonna get it done.”
Copy edited by Emma Jolly
