Frozen pipes cause campuswide network outage in Miller Hall

Frozen pipes in Miller Hall caused a campuswide network outage at Chadron State College, disrupting internet and system access from Saturday, Jan. 17, through Friday, Jan. 23.

The IT department’s data center flooded and damaged critical network infrastructure, resulting in widespread outages that affected academic, residential and administrative operations across campus, according to college officials.

Chadron State College’s IT department worked throughout the week to assess damage and restore services, providing regular updates to students and staff via campuswide email communications. Custodial and IT teams collaborated to remove water, protect equipment and begin repairs while working to bring essential systems back online.

By Wednesday, Jan. 21, network servers had begun returning to limited functionality. By Friday, Jan. 23, the majority of internet access issues had been resolved. Some systems remain partially offline, and certain campus locations continue to experience slow connections or intermittent disruptions.

College Relations Director Alex Helmbrecht addressed the outage during a press conference held Monday, Jan. 26, for the CA 133 Media Writing class. He said the disruption was unusual in scope and affected nearly all areas of campus.

“This is the first disruption of this sort that I have encountered as an employee,” Helmbrecht said.

He has worked at Chadron State College since 2007. Helmbrecht said the college is evaluating infrastructure changes to help prevent similar incidents in the future, including potential modifications to water pipe routing near critical technology systems.

“It is very rare when a situation affects the entirety of campus,” Helmbrecht said. “I have appreciated the students’ diligence and patience during this time.”

While network services are currently functioning, IT staff continue backing up systems and monitoring performance to ensure stability as remaining repairs are completed. Students still experiencing ongoing network issues are encouraged to contact the IT Help Desk, located on the main level of the Reta King Library, by calling 308-432-6311 or emailing [email protected].