Cyber incident stressful for students at Laurentian University

It’s reading week at Laurentian University and there is no WiFi or access to IT services anywhere on campus.

“It’s really stressful,” said Arielle Moriesette, a second-year Laurentian University student.

It has been a tough go for Moriessette, who comes from Hearst who lives on campus. She stayed at school to prepare to finish her second year in forensic science.

“I was counting on this time to do all of my homework studies but now it’s really, really hard,” Moriessette said.

“It’s limited to my own notes my LTE. I was supposed to go home but I decided not to go because I knew I would be more productive here.”

Teddy Trudeau from Sagamok First Nation is in his fifth year of mechanical engineering.

“Trying to study for the midterms that I have next week is pretty challenging when you don’t have any of the material,” Trudeau said.

“So I am trying to work around it by studying from online materials provided on websites and stuff like that.”

In a statement, Laurentian University said its IT team is working to restore services.

“We appreciate that this incident raises a significant privacy concern, and we will be providing updates and sharing more information when we have it.”

Schedule changes

Currently, LU said it’s communicating with all employees and students through a static website at laurentian.ca and social media platforms.

Officials said modifications will be made for exams and assignments due to the cyber interruption.

“That would be amazing. It would give me a little bit more time to study for these midterms,” said Trudeau.

Officials at Laurentian said late Wednesday afternoon that WiFi was restored in residence.

The university also said its IT team and partners are working around the clock to recover from the cyber incident and that it has been reported to police.

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