'It's not easy': Some FSU students have no power but still have summer classes

If Austin Wiggins' electricity was still out, he would have dropped his Florida State University summer class.

"It would've been too much work," the 19-year-old criminology student said.

Wiggins, who lives at home with his family in Tallahassee, said it was already hard to get ready for school with his power returning Sunday, the day before the semester started.

Friday's tornadoes wreaked havoc across the city, damaging if not destroying homes and leaving a huge swath of residents without power. Storms on Monday and early Tuesday, though not as bad as expected, still packed a punch.

Nevertheless, this week FSU has kept its campus open and summer classes on-schedule. This decision has been met with skepticism by some in the university community, including Wiggins and 22-year-old marketing student Mason Rivkin, whose house was without power in one of Tallahassee's most storm-ravaged areas.

As of late morning Tuesday, Rivkin was among the around 10,000 utility customers without electricity, many of them in the tornado-bludgeoned residential areas surrounding FSU's campus. Rivkin had to navigate downed lines and other wreckage to get to the university.

"A lot of people lost their cars and stuff like that," Rivkin said. "Maybe (hold off on classes) a day or two, let everything get situated, like let people get their power back ... I feel like I would have benefited."

But backing the decision, university spokesperson Amy Farnum-Patronis pointed to emails sent to students, when the university announced the reopening but told students to contact their professors if they have problems attending.

"All students and instructors should continue to follow the first class meeting attendance policies," the university said in a Sunday email. "Students who may have challenges attending in person or online should notify their instructors as soon as possible. Instructors are encouraged to be flexible with students impacted by severe weather."

What the university says

In that email, FSU also encouraged students to reach out to the Department of Student Support and Transitions if they needed any storm-related help and urged caution when traveling to and on campus, which had also seen damage.

"We deeply appreciate the work of all those who worked tirelessly around the clock throughout the weekend to prepare the campus to resume regular operations Monday in time for the start of the summer semester as scheduled," the email said.There had been possible severe weather on Monday, though it didn't materialize for the most part. FSU opted to remain open through it, but in another email asked instructors to be lenient in excusing absences, adding that "everyone is urged to use good judgment and caution when traveling in anticipation of another round of severe weather."

It pointed out multiple places with power on campus that students could use. And with possible severe weather early Tuesday that also mostly fizzled out, FSU sent a similar message: "University officials will continue to monitor weather conditions overnight and throughout Tuesday and will take appropriate action if warranted."

Leon County public schools decided to remain closed Tuesday, after shutting down at 1 p.m. Monday. Florida A&M University went virtual on Monday, closed down on Tuesday and resumed remote classes Wednesday.

'It's not easy'

Rivkin was alone when Friday's storm came through, his three roommates having left town for the summer. It knocked down a big oak tree in his yard, and a branch shattered his bedroom window.

He said the last handful of days had been hectic.

He'd gone to stay with his family in Pensacola on Sunday, assuming in-person classes would be delayed, but went back the same day due to the news of normal operations.

"I was really surprised that we had classes on Monday because we've gotten time off for way less (significant) things," he said.

No power means no internet, laundry or air conditioning. It means everything in his fridge and freezer has gone bad, putting him in the challenging situation of eating out but also on the cheap.

He's glad the FSU library is open, with its cool air and functioning power outlets.

"This is the most I've ever been to the library in a span of a few days," he said. "It kind of gives you a safe space." Still, he wishes the university had made a different call about classes.

"It's not easy, a lot of stuff is going on," Rivkin said. "I know a lot of people have it a lot worse than me."

Meanwhile, Faith Hepburn, a 21-year-old business management student, has power but no internet. She has to use her roommate's hotspot when using her computer from home.

"It just makes it harder for me to do my work at home," she said, one of her classes being in-person (though temporarily remote due to the storm) and the other virtual.

"I love the school very much. I feel like it's hard because it wasn't an expected thing. Like it's different when we have hurricanes, you expect for it to be this much damage."

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA TODAY Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU students take on summer classes after Tallahassee tornadoes