A campus power glitch  March 22 caused a confusion with malfunctioning telephone lines and cash registers.

Students were limited to pay only in cash; and some, who did not see the piece of paper hung on the register that said Sodexo workers weren’t accepting credit cards, were confounded. Some Sodexo workers took down customers’ credit card numbers who had their food made but had no other way to pay.

UPJ Sodexo General Manager Victor Costlow said that the power glitch caused the system to be unable to process credit- and debit- card transactions.

A campus email sent out by university administrators  March 23 addressed the reccuring issue that prevented campus telephones from accepting any incoming calls

The email also said that the Pitt-Johnstown Information and Technology staff, Verizon engineers ( whose company provides campus telepohne services) and Pitt’s Computing Services and Systems Development analysts were working on the issue.

As of March 29, there were only four cash registers that could process credit- and debit-card transactions: Brioche, one tuck shop register, the dining hall and Jazzman’s.

“I am grateful that we have at least four (cash registers) working,” said Costlow. “Compared to zero.”

“It is a real pain for a lot of our customers,” he said.

The malfunction caused several inconveniences for students and staff members.

Junior Gabriel Bloomfield said he was at first troubled by the malfunctioning registers and had to pay in cash, but is now content that Sodexo had gotten at least four registers back online.