Michigan State University shifted all East Lansing classes to remote learning Monday after a power plant failure left buildings covering roughly 80% of campus square footage without hot water.

The move, announced Sunday, Sept. 20, by President Kevin Guskiewicz, began that day at 9 a.m. and continues through Monday, Sept. 21, at 11 p.m. Most employees were also directed to work remotely. The MSU Veterinary Medical Center is closed Monday because of ongoing disruptions, WILX reported.

The trouble started Saturday, Sept. 19, at 4:15 p.m., when a power bus failed at the T.B. Simon Power Plant, according to an MSU police email cited by The State News. The bus is a central connection point that feeds electricity and steam to more than 100 campus buildings. Without it, the plant could not generate either.

Power returned to most of campus by 2:52 a.m. Sunday, nearly 11 hours later, according to the same MSU police email. But condensation that built up in the steam lines while the plant was down has kept hot water from flowing, according to MSU's official announcement.

Residence halls and dining facilities depend on that steam system. Students felt the effects immediately.

Tiana Andrews, a hospitality business freshman who works at Owen Hall Sparty's, said staff were called in at 7:30 p.m. Saturday to dispose of freezer food. "There was a truck that came by to save the proteins, like all the meats and stuff," Andrews told The State News. "We're still throwing food out in the morning at other Sparty's, like for example Owen."

At Shaw Hall, fire alarms went off repeatedly overnight. After the third alarm, a resident assistant told students not to come outside if alarms continued, The State News reported. No official explanation for the alarms was provided.

The outage also knocked out cell service, deactivated emergency green phones and disabled key-card entry to dorm buildings, according to WILX. MSU deployed generators and maintained public safety patrols during the blackout.

MSU freshman Sarosh Amjad told WILX on Sunday, Sept. 20, that he tried to wait out the cold water but ultimately had to shower in it.

Provost Laura Lee McIntyre asked faculty in an email to offer students flexibility because of the disruption, according to The State News. Guskiewicz said the university would adapt dining operations throughout Monday for students living on campus.

MSU's volleyball match against Wright State at the Breslin Center was canceled and will not be rescheduled, WKAR reported. A performance of Beetlejuice at the Wharton Center was also called off.

Crews from Infrastructure Planning and Facilities were working around the clock to restore the steam system as of Sunday. The university said it would continue to update the community but did not provide a specific timeline for full hot water restoration.