Some Grenfell campus students struggle to contact home due to fallout from MUN cybersecurity attack

As students of Memorial University's Grenfell campus remain in limbo, the student union's academic vice-president says it's getting harder for international students to reach their families.

Campus IT systems, including Wi-Fi, are downdue to a cybersecurityattack that also pushed back the start of the winter semester to next week.

And while students are moving back on campus as normal, some are finding themselves cut off from home.

"For the international students who have been here, it's definitely hard. The only source of internet, especially for those who live on campus, is the campus internet,"Saif Sayeeditold CBC News on Friday.

"So once their data runs out, it's hard for them to connect to their families back home."

Online courses have not been affected by the campus IT service issue and began Thursday as scheduled.

Students living on campuswho are also enrolled in online coursesare also facing problems,Sayeedisaid. They're having to seek out Wi-Fi sources off campus.

"Those people living in campus residences do not have access to Wi-Fi, so they actually cannot access the classes," he said.

"They're doing their best effort to go to places that have Wi-Fi such as cafs [or] the Corner Brook Public Library."

However,Sayeedisaid professors understand the situation.

HadizaBello, the student union president, told CBC News debit systems and ATMs on campus are also down, sostudents can't buy books.

"Outlook is also down so professors can't give access to course material. We can't contact professors. We can't do any of the work at the office as well," she said.

WATCH IStudents are being hit hard by the cyberattack at MUN's Grenfell campus: student union president:

ATMs, Wi-Fi still down as Grenfell student union criticizes MUNs handling of cyberattack

10 months ago

Duration 1:28

Hadiza Bello, the president of MUNs Grenfell Campus Student Union, says the impact of a security breach is widespread and detrimental to students they cant take out cash on campus and students and professors are trying to find mobile hotspots to connect to the internet, because the Wi-Fi network has been crippled.

Bello said it's unclear how classes will resume Monday with IT systems still disrupted and doubts classes will go ahead. She alsoisn't happy with the university's solution of suggestingstudents seek internet connections off campus.

"It's not fair because we're here paying for Wi-Fi, it's a service that's supposed to be provided. We're not getting that service," she said.

In-person classes were also supposed to begin Thursday but will instead startMonday, according to a statement from university spokesperson Chad Pelley on Friday.

"While the forensic investigation is ongoing, some IT services must remain down, partly to ensure containment of the issue and the safe eventualresumption of serves," Pelley wrote, adding that there's no timeline for how long things will go on this way. Any updates will be posted on MUN's website, he said.

"It's worth noting that faculty members still have access to Brightspace the platform used to deliver both online and in-person courses at Memorial as Brightspace is not impacted," he wrote. "A solution for internet access is being prioritizing now, in the form of Wi-Fi hot spots."

Pelley also noted the service for online tuition payments is hosted through the St. John's campus, which hasn't beenimpacted by the incident. Students can pay with cash or online.

Additionally, Pelley wrote, there is work underway to add debit and credit capacity at the bursar's office and a Wi-Fi hot spot.

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