Power Outage Leaves Thousands Without Power During Winter Quarter 2023 Finals Week

A power outage in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 22 left thousands of UC San Diego students in the dark in the midst of their Winter Quarter 2023 finals week. At around 12 a.m., on-campus residents of Warren College, Eleanor Roosevelt College, Sixth College, and Seventh College reported that they lost power, halting their studies.

According to Leslie Sepuka, Associate Director of University Communications, a material failure in a high voltage connector allowed for water intrusion from recent heavy rain, causing the power outage. Final exams and scheduled classes on Wednesday were not impacted, Sepuka noted.

Near Seventh College, one student was injured after he stumbled in the darkness and grabbed onto a sharp railing to catch his balance. The student injured his hand and was transported to the hospital, according to the student’s friends, Nathan Helms and Pablo Parra.

Power was restored by 5 a.m. Wednesday morning. The University’s high voltage electricians and contractors continue to monitor and maintain UCSD’s high voltage grid to prevent future outages.

Liam Winstead is an Assistant News Editor for The Triton.