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July 12, 2007

RIC classes should resume at 4 p.m. today

PROVIDENCE – College classes at Rhode Island College are expected to resume at 4 p.m. today, and the power that has been out on campus since Tuesday afternoon should be coming back on throughout the afternoon.

The necessary part to fix the college’s main transformer, which failed Tuesday afternoon, has arrived from South Carolina and is being installed, college spokeswoman Jane Fusco said at noon today.

The power is likely to be restored gradually, one section of the grid at a time, Fusco said.

Other than the college classes that were all canceled yesterday, RIC has managed to hold many of the other planned activities for this week, including freshmen orientation and the parents’ luncheon set for today, Fusco said. Even some art and music classes for the elementary through high school students on campus for summer camps have gone on as scheduled, she said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

“We had art students outside drawing, using the natural light and the natural environment,” she said.

And a marching band class played on – practicing outside as most marching bands do.

The college’s main dining hall and the residence hall where much of the freshmen orientation activities are taking place are being powered by generators, Fusco said. Otherwise, most of RIC’s buildings are “still in the dark,” she said – with no power, no computers, no lights.

The attitude on campus toward the unusual loss of electricity has been “great,” though, Fusco said. Many employees are taking this time away from computers to clean their desks, clean out files and otherwise do the kind of work they have set aside for when they have a slow period, she said.

RIC students and professors can continue to check the college Web site or call the information line at (401) 456-9500 for updates throughout the afternoon.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:30 PM | Permalink

July 12, 2007

RIC classes should resume at 4 p.m. today

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