Hillsdale should be commended for how it responded to the outage

By TJ Montgomery

The unprecedented ice storm knocked out electrical power in Hillsdale two weeks ago, forcing the college to cancel classes for two days. Already, students have put the event behind them, returning to routine schedules and course work with as much or as little enthusiasm as they had before the storm. However, in this climate of always moving ahead, a disappointing narrative has arisen, being recently voiced by Josiah Lippincott in the previous issue of the Collegian: the college should not have canceled classes under the abnormal conditions and it somehow reflects negatively on the merits of the college because it wasn’t.

As Mr. Lippincott pointed out, “strength rejoices in the challenge.” Let us challenge ourselves to expand our calculation of what it takes to engage in such a valuable liberal education. By doing this we can avoid absolutist opinions such as stating college should continue during a natural disaster “regardless of external circumstances.”

Benedict Kennedy is a junior studying economics.

While I understand frustrations that arise from sudden upheavals to a class schedule, seeking to disparage the college’s response distracts from a proper reflection on the circumstances of the blackout. Furthermore, it serves to diminish the efforts of the Hillsdale staff to support the student body while the power was out.

Without power, most classrooms are simply impractical to use. Every room without windows would be overwhelmed in darkness, making it not a matter of just missing conveniences but also missing the necessary lighting which facilitates effective learning, something not easily patched over with half measures, like a few candles. Potential safety hazards could also arise (which the college could be liable for), such as tripping from low light conditions in stairwells, hazards from the wet and icy conditions outside, or the dangers of falling tree branches and downed power lines across streets and sidewalks. Another overlooked problem is how, even in buildings with generators, many restrooms were closed because they required electricity to flush, an issue that would only worsen in normal conditions. While it is easy to idolize the past, that should not cloud our judgment of our current conditions, namely that most of our modern-day infrastructure is reliant on electricity to function efficiently. The desire to not disrupt classes is understandable, but any decision to persevere throughout a breakdown in the system should not come at the expense of the health and safety of students, faculty, or staff.

Another aspect forgotten by students is that this was not just a campus issue, but a blackout that affected the lives of everyone across Hillsdale and beyond. It was not only classrooms and dorms that were left without power and heat, but also the homes of those who work here. In such a scenario where they are asked to work as normal, it is not just a request to come work under uncertain, hazardous conditions, but also to leave behind their house and their families in environments with no lights, no heat, difficulty preparing food, and other troubles.

Hillsdale College does not stand as a monolith, it is a part of a community, and its decisions should be considered for the impact they have on the lives of others in addition to any impact on daily operations. That said, remarkably, many of the college’s hardworking employees, in maintenance, health services, food services, security, and more, did show up. They worked around the clock in order to enable us to remain safe, to remain warm, and to remain fed. It is easy to take these benefits for granted in the campus bubble, considering that most of our buildings recovered its power after a period of one to two days, but in thinking of others we should not neglect to remember that they were affected as equally, if not more so, by the challenges of the blackout for even longer.

If there is anything students should take away from the recent blackout, it is this: we were fortunate enough to not need to seriously worry about it. Through it all, the college community avoided uncertainty and hardships because our faculty and administration looked out and supported the students as much as possible, ensuring that we did not have to be concerned about basic needs. The administration should be commended for looking out for everyone’s safety, not maligned for making the difficult decision to cancel classes for the wellbeing of everyone. The maintenance workers should be applauded for finding generators and clearing sidewalks to the best of their abilities, not booed for the places that could not recover power immediately. The employees in the cafeteria should be thanked for keeping us fed throughout the entire day, not bemoaned for having limited offerings. While parroting “strength rejoices in the challenge” sounds nice, the motto becomes a hollow platitude when it is used to recklessly call for rushing headlong into avoidable dangers or comes at the expense of the wellbeing of others. This was not the time to pad egos by pretending to be tough. Instead, it was a time to come together and make important decisions to protect the wellbeing of the community. Canceling classes in those unprecedented and unworkable conditions was not only the right decision but one that credits, not detracts, from the college’s virtues.

TJ Montgomery is a junior studying history.