- Photo Credit: SAPeoplenews.com
On Thursday, 7th November, 2024, a Town Hall meeting held within the premises of Alexander Brown Hall (ABH) to allow Brownites to have a say in the decision-making that aimed to solve the electricity and water challenges that have plagued the hall since the onset of the protracted blackout that has engulfed the entire University College Hospital (UCH) community in despairing darkness.
The town hall meeting saw several Brownites, including the hall executives, the USA president, and the UIMSA president, working towards a definitive plan to end ABH’s dilemma. At the town hall meeting, the deputy hall chairman mentioned that a letter addressed to the University management petitioning for diesel for the generator had been submitted and a response would be received the following day.
Several Brownites also gave suggestions about the next course of action and it was decided upon that if things stayed the same then drastic measures from students would have to follow. It was also mentioned that a letter that outlined the challenges faced by Brownites would be submitted. The letter concluded with the drastic measures to be taken by students if there weren’t changes- an immediate suspension of academic activities.
The following afternoon, the letter with signatures of more than six hundred Brownites was submitted. That same evening the hall experienced its first glimpse of light after fourteen days of darkness. The generator which had been non-functional for close to three years was suddenly revived and powered all the blocks including the cafeteria. It was agreed upon that the generator would run for an hour in the morning and another hour in the evening.
Despite that recent breakthrough in the ongoing darkness over the hall, Brownites have had mixed reactions to this development. There is joy in the fact that the hall will no longer be completely dark, even if only for a few hours, and this suggests that their efforts, led by the executives, have not been in vain. However, this joy is tempered by the realization that this new development highlights the need for more substantial improvements. Many are perplexed as to why the school’s management waited so long to take action, which has sparked a call for further changes.
Some residents believe that enough efforts have been made to address issues, many others argue that the new development, which is suspected to be temporal, is an attempt to silence students from further voicing their grievances. Given the hall’s past reputation for reliable power supply, asking for more doesn’t seem unreasonable. As necessary, students have decided to take strong measures to ensure that fairness and justice are upheld for the residents of Alexander Brown Hall.
While the UCH community continues to struggle in ongoing darkness, the ABH community would greatly appreciate not having to wait in long queues for water or travel long distances to fetch it. Additionally, having access to a reasonable amount of electricity would provide reassurance that they can charge their devices adequately to last throughout the day until it’s time to charge them again in the evening. Clearly, two hours of electricity per day will not be enough and definitely not two days worth of diesel.
For so long Brownites have endured and pulled through several episodes of power outage like war-torn soldiers, but even soldiers are mortal. In Physics, it is taught that an elastic material won’t return to its original form after exceeding its elastic limit. In the same vein, Brownites have reached their breaking point.
Unwilling to return to what used to be, we are clamouring for more to be done to improve their welfare and living conditions. Are we then at the cusp of a brewing revolution that will leave a lasting impact? Will Brownites finally get what is only just and fair? The answers surely await us in future days.
