Current and former residents of Minden Hall can testify that getting stuck in an elevator is an unpleasant experience that occurs far too frequently.
This summer, the 93-year-old dormitory underwent extensive renovations, but aside from a routine check, no repairs were made to the building's unreliable 65-year-old elevator. In past years, students have reported being stuck inside for periods of time ranging from 20 minutes to two hours.
Cindy Cheung '06 said she found it strange that "when they were renovating, they didn't touch (the elevator)."
Work is continually done on the elevator due to Rhode Island state laws that require its inspection every month, said Carl Weaver, director of physical plant for the Department of Facilities Management. "Technically the elevator works very well," he said - problems only arise when there is an "overload" of students using the elevator at once or when students decide to test the elevator by "jumping up and down" in it.
John Chernin '06 lived in Minden last year. On one occasion he, along with nine other students, arrived back at the dorm one evening and decided that the 10 of them would be able to use the elevator at the same time without a problem. The group of students was stuck in the elevator for 30 minutes. Due to the small size and old age of the elevator, Chernin admitted that, by having so many people in the elevator at once, they were "kind of asking for it."
A sign, added since the end of the summer, now warns riders: "Gross weight capacity 1200 lbs. Limit occupancy to 4 Individuals." In smaller letters beneath this general warning, the sign reads, "Failure to follow these guidelines will result in elevator malfunction." Weaver noted that one of these signs is posted inside the cab and two more are posted on each floor, one by the call button for the elevator and one adjacent to it.
The signs were posted the day after several students, including Amanda Muchnick '07, were stuck in the elevator for 20 minutes, Munchnick said. She said it was "absurd" that the signs were the response to the elevator breakdowns.
The signs may be inaccurate, Munchnick and Bethany Gerstein '07 said. "I don't think four people usually weigh 1,200 pounds," Munchnick said.
Gerstein, who was stuck inside with five other students, said, "There were six people, not averaging 200 pounds each."
In addition to smoke detectors and fire suppression equipment, the elevator contains a phone that automatically connects to the Department of Public Safety when picked up. Jill Harrison '06 confirmed in an email that this was the case when she and seven other students were stuck in the elevator last year.
However, "when DPS hangs up, the button doesn't function (again) for about 20 or 30 minutes," Gerstein said.
Weaver, the director of physical plant, said there have been times when it has taken more than 10 or 15 minutes to free students from the elevator after it has become stuck because a complicated process must be completed before the elevator doors can be opened.
First, after receiving the emergency phone call from inside the elevator, an elevator company contracted by the University must be called. For safety reasons, the doors to the elevator cannot be opened immediately. The elevator cab's location has to be determined, and, if it is between floors, a plan for safe evacuation must be created.
Harrison wrote in an e-mail that the process took longer than it should have. "They said they had to call someone from outside Providence to come fix it, which we were outraged at. Waiting for someone to get there would take quite a while."
Because of the elevator's small size, Harrison wrote, there was nothing to do but stand and wait to be let out. Meanwhile, the elevator got progressively warmer thanks to both the bright lights of the elevator cab and unspoken nervousness among its captives. "Only one or two people admitted to being claustrophobic or nervous," she wrote, later adding that "I think being in a hot elevator for 45 minutes ... would get to most people eventually."
A letter addressed to the occupants and users of Minden Hall in early September from Derek Henries, manager of the Facilities Management Service Response Center, hangs on the elevator doors of each floor. The letters warns that, should problems persist with the elevator due to student violations, "The Department of Facilities Management in conjunction with the Office of Residential Life" will be forced to ban further use of the elevator for "an undefined period of time to safeguard the elevator's longevity."
As for now, Weaver said, "The big thing is if they just try to limit rides to being under 1,200 pounds and use good judgment that the elevator should work fine."
Minden resident Jonathon Juy '07 agreed. "The whole four person thing - follow that rule," he advised.
