An outage across most of the Endcliffe student village caused widespread confusion on Tuesday 22nd, leaving questions around the University’s preparedness and response.
The emergency lights were activated in every room affected, and power was restored just over an hour later. A Northern Powergrid spokesperson confirmed there were no reports of an outage on their end, implicating the University’s electrical structure.
However, for some students, the effects didn’t stop there. One student, speaking on the condition of anonymity, reported that people from other flats had entered theirs through the fire door, which would usually be locked by an electromagnet.
On entering, they caused a disturbance, took food items from the freezer and left its door open. The student, who “didn’t know what else to do”, locked themselves in their room.
They added that other students experienced similar violations of privacy, due to the reliance on electric locks in halls of residence, which the student believes is “a massive oversight”. The event highlights a deficit in security within the buildings, especially the newer ones within the Endcliffe development, which were the most compromised by the outage.
Accommodation Customer Services (ACS) typically sends regular emails to students, informing them of any expected disruptions, and apologising after they have ended. However, no statement of acknowledgement has been issued by ACS.
When contacted for comment, one employee stated that they “hadn’t been informed” of the event. In response to the lack of communication, the student reported they felt “As if they’re [ACS] trying to pretend it didn’t happen”
In response to the power outage, A University of Sheffield spokesperson said, “We were alerted to reports of a power outage affecting Endcliffe Student Village on Tuesday evening, and power was restored just over an hour later.
“The University has not received any reports of any thefts on site during this time, but we would encourage students who have been affected by such incidents to report any concerns via our Report and Support platform, or directly to the University’s security team through the SafeZone app so the appropriate support can be offered.”
Written By Nina Thyr.
