ACC’s Rio Grande Campus will close 1 p.m. Wednesday, February 2, due to rolling power outages. Rio Grande classes will be canceled and campus offices closed Wednesday. All other ACC campuses and centers remain open and are operating on a normal schedule.
ACC has been advised by the Electrical Reliability Council of Texas to expect rolling power outages throughout the state that may continue through Friday because of the extreme cold weather. Rolling outages are expected to last approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Students, faculty, and staff are advised to use stairs and only use elevators if they have a disability. The outages will affect central heating systems and may cause buildings to be cold even when the power is restored because of disruption of the boilers. The power outages also may disrupt telephone and Internet service. The college is working to keep disruptions to a minimum.
ACC is continuing to monitor the power situation and the weather. Updates will be posted on the college homepage, Facebook, and Twitter. For questions, please contact the Help Desk at (512) 223.4636.
Officials ask you to turn off unnecessary electrical devices to conserve energy. Please be aware space heaters are not allowed on campus.
Thank you for your patience.
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By bob February 2, 2011 - 11:03 am
10-15 minutes? Ha!
By Mary Corredor February 2, 2011 - 1:38 pm
If this situation continues, traveling in the PM after evening classes with malfunctioning traffic lights is going to be dangerous for students and instructors.
By N February 2, 2011 - 1:59 pm
thanks! I couldnt take anymore classes today
By mariam February 2, 2011 - 2:15 pm
This is a little insane. Below freezing temps are expected and you still want our kids, your students to drive in this weather- That is totally irresponsible for a college.
By smallsville February 2, 2011 - 2:24 pm
Wow, could not use any of the computers on campus,after had to find side door to get into building, after traveling up 3 flights of stairs because elevator only for those with disabilities, after trying to get a drink from water fountain that didn’t work from the rolling power outage… went home from round rock campus…
By Van February 2, 2011 - 2:39 pm
Mwahahahhahahahaha Great no classes,was wondering how i’ll dare leave the Rio Grande with this icy weather after my late night class.
By Jess February 2, 2011 - 2:40 pm
Close all campuses it was 59 degrees in my classroom cold is not the word for it!!!!!! This is crazy to make us suffer through the day like this none of the students are comfortable!!!!!!
By Kristyn February 2, 2011 - 2:49 pm
Texas State San Marcos and Round rock campuses are closed. Is the Round Rock ACC campus staying open this evening? (it is literally next door to the Texas State Round Rock campus!)
By Rene February 2, 2011 - 2:49 pm
Why are evening classes not cancelled-we are to drive at night with lights out, possibly climb up to 10 flights of stairs with no lighting guaranteed and then possibly sit in a dark classroom-this is insane!!!
By J February 2, 2011 - 2:56 pm
CANCEL CLASSES TOMORROW!!! LET US ENJOY THE SNOW (IF WE GET SOME) 🙂
By ACC Student February 2, 2011 - 2:59 pm
ALL campuses are affected by the rolling brownouts, so why only close Rio Grande?
The rolling brownouts are easy to deal with when it comes to day classes. It wasn’t a big deal to take the stairs, etc.
Night classes are a different story.
No outside light to assist just a little bit when the power goes out; pitch black parking lots to walk through, traffic lights not working at intersections, etc. Why risk it? Or perhaps more to the point; why have all students EXCEPT the ones at Rio Grande, risk it?
By Shelly February 2, 2011 - 3:08 pm
I really hope you take a serious look at this for tomorrow’s classes. My schedule starts at 7am and I do not head home until 7pm after my last class. From all indications tomorrow will even be worse than today. Thanks
By B-rad February 2, 2011 - 3:14 pm
Some of us who live south are gonna have a difficult time at night getting home when our class ends at 9:30.
I think all the campuses should be closed for tonight!
By Sean February 2, 2011 - 3:21 pm
@mariam…. chill out.
By Mason February 2, 2011 - 3:25 pm
Texas State has closed their classes due to the weather and rolling brown-outs. roads have ice on them ALL day for the next few days. Some students (including me) have to travel over many bridges across town to get to class. Classes should be closed.
By sara February 2, 2011 - 3:30 pm
how below freezing temperatures translates into unsafe driving conditions is ridiculous. there is no ice or precipitation on the ground or in the air that creates inclement driving conditions…the statement that the college is acting irresponsibly eludes me
By Sheri February 2, 2011 - 3:30 pm
Expecting students to walk up and down stairs and through halls in the dark is dangerous!! Not only that, but totally unsafe to walk from the building to my car in the pitch black darkness after class…..and when I slip on ice and break my back, nobody will even SEE me!!! They really need to close all the sites!!!
By Leo February 2, 2011 - 3:37 pm
I am not driving in this weather…
By Traci February 2, 2011 - 3:43 pm
Rio Grande is closed while other ACC locations are open. ALL should be closed because of malfunctioning traffic lights out there right now.
By Josh February 2, 2011 - 3:54 pm
Malfunctioning lights and having to sit in cold rooms for an hour and a half is too hazardous for students as well as faculty to have to put up with. The gain you would receive from sitting in a class without power is not worth it. That would be completely illogical and unreasonable to have to attend class in these conditions.
By Joe February 2, 2011 - 3:56 pm
I have to drive from San Marcos to Rio Grand. If you are going to close campus tomorrow could you please let us know tonight? I don’t want to get to campus just to have to turn around and leave.
By D February 2, 2011 - 4:09 pm
Okay, I understand your initial concern and agree that a school that is not properly functioning should be shut down… BUT if for example my campus Cypress Creek is fully functional, I see no reason to shut it down because it’s “cold”… What if we lived in Chicago?? those people function every day in worse weather than we do and they don’t shut the town down because of cold weather or snow. If people are too cold or don’t want to drive at night with no traffic lights they should stay home. As for people like me that need to be in class because we paid for it – I am going to class 🙂
By ACC Student February 2, 2011 - 4:19 pm
Stairwells are lit with emergency lighting…
That said, some of us have to drive an HOUR each way to get to class. Please, ACC, don’t wait until the last minute to cancel evening classes! Remember that many of your students are driving long distances to get to class.
Also, please clarify why you have closed Rio Grande campus only…
By DR February 2, 2011 - 4:32 pm
ACC should NOT wait until the last minute to take a decision. It is ridiculous. You wait in traffic, classes are cold, nothing is accomplished, a lot of students are absent and THEN you are told to go home. Some consideration and brain won’t hurt you, ACC!
By kch February 2, 2011 - 4:37 pm
@D, in Chicago they’re prepared for the cold. In Texas, people freak out when it’s less than 60 degrees.
By Rich February 2, 2011 - 4:45 pm
@smallsville, I apologize for your extremely unlucky timing. The power has gone out for a maximum of 30 minutes (averaging 20 min.) The computers are off because repetitive power loss can and will damage equipment. It makes more sense to have the computers off for a day or two, than to risk damaging them and having them completely unusable for much longer.
Of course the automatic sliding doors that are there completely for your convenience aren’t going to work if the power is out…. I have no idea what else to say to that.
And you are more than welcome to get on the elevator that also doesn’t work without electricity, heaven forbid it goes out while you are in it (the ENTIRE reason for the sign in the first place).
As for the water fountains, they need power in order to filter and cool the water that you want to drink, again, sorry for the convenience.
I am mainly amazed that you found time to do all of this in the 15-20 minutes the power was actually out.
The point here is that the employees of ACC are doing everything they possibly can to accommodate its students in the horribly unbearable sub-freezing arctic weather that has everyone up in arms. If you would have taken just one more minute here to talk to ANY of the employees, you would have found that out, I did.
By Johnny February 2, 2011 - 4:57 pm
Quit crying, Rio Grande is the only campus experiencing the black outs. The traffic lights are now stop signs, there is no ice on the roads. Imagine what the troops in Afghanistan feel like right now with no electricity, freezing on the side of a mountain fighting for their lives. If yall want a shoulder to cry on their is one on the side of the road.
By J1973 February 2, 2011 - 4:58 pm
Dear D,
Regarding your comment..
“What if we lived in Chicago?? those people function every day in worse weather than we do and they don’t shut the town down because of cold weather or snow. If people are too cold or don’t want to drive at night with no traffic lights they should stay home.”
You are comparing apples to oranges. To “function” properly takes adaptation. In this case, Chicago residents are adapted to such weather conditions that they frequently experience, where as, Texas folks are not. I admire your devotion to class and I empathize with you, but your ‘what if’ can’t apply to our situation right now. If your campus is open, be happy and go to class. You can’t bash on others using Chicago as an example.
By MM February 2, 2011 - 5:11 pm
freezing weather is an issue for all of the students of all campuses NOT just one campus and of course you have paid for your classes, we all have paid for our classes, I think our safety is more important than everything else. so please let us know early if the campuses will be closed by tomorrow because it is 45 minutes driving in the early morning for me to arrive to RR campus.
By Jay February 2, 2011 - 5:12 pm
Another commuter hoping you’ll make these announcements sooner.
By autumn February 2, 2011 - 5:17 pm
yes, please let us know if the campus will be closed tomorrow. i also live far away in round rock and drover out there today and wasted my gas.
By Grant February 2, 2011 - 5:20 pm
Anyone come from Round Rock campus recently? Just curious how bad the “conditions” in the classroom are? Crazy that a major university shut down, but not the community college right next to it.
By Rich February 2, 2011 - 5:59 pm
@Grant
I’m sitting in a classroom right now on one of the school’s computers. The thermostat says 68 degrees and the power has been on since about 12:15 without interruption.
To everyone else,
The rolling blackouts are over, at least temporarily. There were approx. 70 generating stations around the state that were operating below normal capacity, requiring the southern parts of the state, including Austin Energy, to “share” with the rest of the state. I don’t know about y’all, but I have no problem going without power for a few minutes every couple hours so those in the northern part of the state have at least some power, after all, it is 13 degrees in Dallas with a solid layer of ice on most of the residential roads. They need it more than we do, happy to sacrifice a little to help out a lot.
By Sheri February 2, 2011 - 6:09 pm
Well this puts me in an unfortunate situation, and I am really not happy about this. You feel it is inclement enough to close ONE campus? What makes that campus special? I have a long drive to get to my class in the evenings at Northridge, and it lets out at 10pm, so the conditions will be far worse then. While I understand that “cold” is not justification for the world ceasing to spin, in this area, even a drop of precipitation in this temperature could have catastrophic effects. I am opting to stay home tonight and simply hope my grade will not be too affected…..it really sucks that I am in this position though!!!
By ACC Student February 2, 2011 - 6:12 pm
WOW, just when you thought it was safe to drive in this weather to get to Rio Grande Campus. WOW.
By Nene February 2, 2011 - 6:14 pm
For those saying malfunctioning traffic lights aren’t an issue– Call Cedar Park Police and ask how many accidents they had today. I witnessed one on the way to class at ~7am and another on the way home at ~1030am and was almost T-Boned by a guy driving a truck when crossing at 620 & Pecan Park because they aren’t realizing the lights are screwed up until too late because Cedar Park has those filters on their lights where you can’t see if it’s green til you are right on it but you can see if it’s red or yellow from a distance, so the people think it’s green!
By Pam February 2, 2011 - 6:15 pm
The worst of it is that people are not equipped for this weather. It can be difficult to even find a good winter coat in Central Texas, and from what I’ve seen around campus, many students don’t own one. Ditto long johns, mittens, scarves, hats, etc, made from warm fiber. I can’t imagine what travel is like for students who have to rely on the bus system. Waiting for your bus in twenty-something weather in a coat that is made to be worn in forty-something plus weather must be terrible. Not to mention dangerous.
While the closure might cost some funding (do we know?), it might show some insight (not to mention compassion) to shut down for a day. Or even two.
By John February 2, 2011 - 6:22 pm
Wow.. I can’t believe all the crying that is going on over this.
Bottom line. If you don’t feel comfortable going DONT GO!!! Very simple. Quit all the crying and blaming other people.
By ACC Student February 2, 2011 - 6:27 pm
So, Johnny, tell me what was that quick snap into total darkness that we experienced in the classroom at the RR campus today? Since you are certain that Rio Grande was the only campus to have the rolling blackouts, I figure you would know. Don’t bother answering, just make sure you know what you are talking about before you post next time.
As for the blackouts stopping, yes, they do stop during the day because the power demand is not as high when people are not home. The problem comes again when folks return home and kick up the heat, flip on all the lights, etc. I wont be surprised if the brownouts begin again.
Either way, the roads are fine, made it to class fine and the campus is crowded. Have a safe evening, all.