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General FAQs

The main electrical breakers at UTEP were installed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They are no longer supported by the manufacturer, and spare parts are difficult to find. In addition, the campus electrical demand has more than doubled since the breakers were installed. The new breakers will serve the current campus electrical demand and allow for growth, as well as increase safety and efficiency.

Nov. 28 was selected because it is a day when the campus is closed.

The majority of web services will be down during the power outage, including all UTEP websites, internet access on campus, PeopleSoft, Banner, Goldmine, Pete’s Payment Options, Zoom and campus phone services. Blackboard and UTEP email will remain available via my.UTEP.edu. Microsoft cloud services including, Teams, OneDrive and Sharepoint will be available from off campus.

  • Administration Building
  • Advanced Manufacturing and Aerospace Center (AMAC) Building
  • Bell Hall
  • Benedict Hall
  • Biological Sciences Building
  • Bioscience Research Building
  • Brumbelow Building
  • Business Administration Building
  • Centennial Museum
  • Centennial Plaza
  • Chemistry and Computer Science Building
  • Classroom Building
  • Cotton Memorial, including KTEP
  • Don Haskins Center
  • Education Building
  • El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center
  • Engineering and Sciences Complex
  • Foster Stevens Basketball Center
  • Fox Fine Arts Center
  • Geological Sciences Building
  • Graham Hall
  • Health and Sciences and Nursing Building
  • Holiday Hall
  • Hudspeth Hall
  • Interdisciplinary Research Building
  • Jack C. Vowell Hall
  • Kelly Hall
  • Kidd Field
  • Larry K. Durham Sports Center
  • Leech Grove
  • Liberal Arts Building
  • Magoffin Auditorium
  • Memorial Gym
  • Mike Loya Academic Services Building
  • Miner Village
  • Miners Hall
  • Military Science Building
  • Old Main
  • Peter and Margaret De Wetter Center
  • Physical Science Building
  • Prospect Hall
  • Psychology Building
  • Quinn Hall
  • Ross Moore Building
  • Satellite Plant – Lighting Only, Not Equipment in the Building
  • Schuster Parking Garage
  • Seismic Lab
  • Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts
  • Sun Bowl Parking Garage
  • Sun Bowl Stadium
  • Texas Western Hall
  • Ticket Center
  • Worrell Hall
  • Undergraduate Learning Center
  • Union Building East
  • Union Building West
  • University Bookstore
  • UTEP Library

Yes! There will be staff on campus from the UTEP Police Department, Facilities Management, Environmental Health and Safety and other departments to monitor the buildings and campus and address any issues that arise before, during and after the shutdown.

Yes. UTEP will replace a total of eight breakers over time. We expect to have four additional power shutdowns within the next year to complete the breaker upgrade project. Additional information will be provided as those are scheduled.

You can email outage@utep.edu with any questions related to the power shutdown.

FAQs for Students

Power will remain on in Miner Canyon and Miner Heights. Miner Village will lose power for about 3 hours, between approximately 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., on Nov. 28. This will include electrical power, heating and cooling. Students who live in Miner Village should take the following precautions.

  • Back up and power down computers.
  • Turn off and unplug non-essential equipment to protect it from possible power surges.
  • Miner Village residents who will be on campus on Nov. 28 should prepare to be without power for approximately three hours. Before Nov. 28, ensure your electronic devices are charged. During the outage, open your refrigerator and freezer as little as possible to keep food cold for longer.

Before Nov. 28, ensure your electronic devices are charged. During the outage, open your refrigerator and freezer as little as possible to keep food cold for longer.

Yes, a staff member will be onsite during the outage. If an urgent situation arises, please call the Miner Village RA on call at 915-525-1452.

You can email outage@utep.edu with any questions related to the power shutdown.

Yes, Blackboard and UTEP email will still be available through my.utep.edu during the power shutdown.

FAQs for Faculty and Staff

We recommend that you power down your computer and unplug any non-essential electrical items in your office or department to prevent damage from possible power surges.

You can email outage@utep.edu with any questions related to the power shutdown.

FAQs for Researchers

Most campus buildings will be without electrical power, heating and cooling from approximately 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 28. Please review the recommendations below to protect critical research equipment and materials that rely on electrical power.

  • Ensure critical electronic equipment (e.g., incubators, biosafety cabinets, analytical instruments, and control computers) is connected to appropriately sized UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) units to protect against power fluctuations and brief interruptions during generator transfer. Researchers should test the UPS systems and make sure they are functioning properly prior to the outage. Research Support will be available to assist in the testing as needed.
  • Consider unplugging or powering off older or non-essential devices that may be vulnerable to voltage fluctuations. These can be reconnected after the outage is completed and the power is back on.
  • Confirm whether critical equipment automatically restarts after power restoration or requires manual intervention. Where possible, conduct a short test prior to the outage to verify operation. If needed, ensure someone is available to reset the equipment at the end of the outage.
  • Ensure that someone from each lab familiar with the equipment is available during the event to observe and confirm equipment operation once power returns. Provide the person’s name and contact information to the building manager, who will share it with Facilities Management.
  • Automated notifications (e.g., Building Automation Systems, temperature or environmental alerts) will not function during the outage. Each group should plan to manually monitor any critical temperature-dependent equipment, such as animal holding rooms, refrigerators, freezers, and ultra-low freezers.
  • Verify that critical freezers and refrigerators are connected to emergency power circuits where available, and ensure there is a contingency plan in place in case a unit fails or does not restart. This includes identifying how to safely transfer samples and ensuring appropriate PPE precautions are used when handling biological materials.

Backup generators are tested weekly and UPS units that are part of campus buildings are tested quarterly. The UPS units that belong to specific departments or researchers should be tested by the end user periodically. To help determine if your research equipment will have adequate power during the power shutdown, please contact Paul Rodriguez with Research Support at prodriguez7@utep.edu.

Backup generators are tested weekly and UPS units that are part of campus buildings are tested quarterly. The UPS units that belong to specific departments or researchers should be tested by the end user periodically. To help determine if your research equipment will have adequate power during the power shutdown, please contact Paul Rodriguez with Research Support at prodriguez7@utep.edu.

Facilities Management staff do not expect any fluctuations in power that will inadvertently blow out equipment. To help reduce the risk of power fluctuations, generators will be pre-started to minimize the short outage from normal power to backup power for locations that have backup power.

Please contact Paul Rodriguez at prodriguez7@utep.edu with questions related to Facilities Services research support. For other questions, email outage@utep.edu.