Story by Miranda Carpenter
Staff Writer
Elevator troubles on campus have inconvenienced students, faculty and staff from Faculty Hall to the residential colleges.
Kelsey Sutton, freshman from Newburgh, Indiana, got stuck between the doors of an elevator on Feb. 13 in Hart College after having a conversation with a friend.
“She was getting off at the fifth floor and we were almost done with our conversation, so I stuck my foot in the opening to keep the doors open,” Sutton said. “The elevator started beeping loudly and began to close on my foot, assuming it just didn’t detect my foot; I put my body in the opening to keep the door open. It continued to close and I got stuck between the closing doors on either shoulder.”
Sutton said she was able to free herself after being pulled out from between the doors.
“We just laughed about the situation, but it didn’t make it any less freaky,” Sutton said.
After hearing stories about people getting stuck in elevators on campus, some students said they have started to take the stairs more often. Some students have also said they refuse to take certain elevators on campus because of their fear.
“There are definitely some elevators on campus I won’t get in, like the one in the Business Building and often some in Faculty Hall because of how shaky they are,” Sutton said.
The News filed an open records request per the Open Records Act for elevator maintenance reports and records.
On Feb. 11, elevator number one in Faculty Hall was stuck between floors four and five with three people inside, according to the elevator maintenance reports and records.
Elevator number one in Faculty Hall also experienced some issues on Feb. 13 when stopping on the fourth floor. The elevator stopped with a jolt on the fourth floor, but continued to drift down half a floor until the brake caught it, according to the elevator maintenance reports and records.
Shawn Touney, director of communication, said the University works with several contracted companies for elevator maintenance.
“[The] majority of elevator maintenance is performed by University staff, which includes two state-licensed elevator technicians,” Touney said.
Part of their responsibilities involve regular preventative maintenance of elevators, as well as responding to emergency calls.
Touney said out of the approximately 75 elevators on campus, some of the older elevators are located in the North Business Building and Mason Hall. The cost for maintenance or even replacing an elevator would vary depending on the scope and size of the elevator.
Some students said they think the elevators need to be updated or should at least have more frequent maintenance and testing.
Olivia Bailey, senior from Mount Vernon, Illinois, said many of the older elevators on campus need to be replaced, specifically the one in the Business Building.
“The elevator in the Business Building starts to open before it has even stopped moving,” Bailey said. “I’ve heard multiple students complain about this elevator in particular.”
On Feb. 12, an elevator in the North Business Building was stuck on the third floor and would not reset, according to the elevator maintenance reports and records.
Students, faculty and staff who have any concerns with campus elevators should contact Facilities Management at 270-809-4293 and if necessary, activate the emergency notification system.
