At DGS, students who have injuries, staff that have big items to carry and janitors pushing carts rely on the elevator as an alternative to taking the stairs. Many students have drawn a lens onto the functioning of the elevators at DGS and how they feel in regard to their quality.  

Junior Isabella Johnsen says that although the elevators are nice to have, they don’t do their actual job.

“They’re terrible at doing what they’re supposed to. I know one time I literally was waiting the entire period for the elevator just for me to get on and press the button to the third floor only for it to take me to the basement,” Johnsen said.

Sophomore Enzo Rovito feels similarly about his experiences with the elevator when he had a torn meniscus. “I’ve had a lot of negative experiences. One day the elevator broke down and I had to take the stairs to get to class on time … I was still late,” Rovito said.

The DGS elevators seemed to have most let down junior Daisja Honorable, as her experiences have involved calling the police.

“Personally, getting stuck wasn’t too scary because I tried to stay calm, but I pressed the “help” button and it called 911. I was pretty freaked out about that. It doesn’t say in the B-hallway elevator that pressing it would call 911, so I thought I was calling down to the main office or something … I was only stuck for about 10 minutes so it wasn’t too bad, but I was shaking pretty bad when I got out,” Honorable said.

Honorable has shared videos on social media of her stuck in the elevator and calling for help.

“There’s a number of things wrong with the elevators. The B-hallway one is constantly out of order and makes screeching noises, typically going from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor. That same elevator also looks like something out of a horror movie. So paired with the noises, it’s kind of spooky sometimes, but with time you get used to it. The other elevator isn’t really sketchy — the buttons just don’t light up, so you’re never too certain if you pressed the button or not,” Honorable said.

Just until recently, a person could pass the B-hallway elevator and find an “Out of Order” sign posted on the doors. It had been shut down for approximately a week.

The Director of Buildings and Grounds at DGS is Michael Reyes–he responds as to whether or not DGS is taking action on the current elevator malfunctions.

“Currently we are working with our elevator contractor to replace a component that has become intermittently faulty for our elevator in the B hallway. As a result, we have made the decision to shut the car down until the part is shipped and installed,” Reyes said.

Honorable also describes the speed of the elevators when going floor to floor. “If you get to the elevator soon enough then you’ll get to your classes on time or even a little early. But if you have to wait for it, the elevator can sometimes take 3 or more minutes to get to your floor. Which sucks if you’re on crutches and need an empty hallway to get around easier,” Honorable said.

Sophomore Aaniyah Jamison can agree to this. “Even if you leave five minutes before class and you have to take the elevator, you’re still bound to be in the hallways trying to walk with crutches. And not too many people care or try to make room for people who have them,” Jamison said.

“The staff just needs to update the elevators. There’s some of them that are really gross on the inside and they take forever to get from floor to floor. It’s sketchy because it seems like every week the elevators break down. And these elevators are most definitely old,” Rovito said.

Reyes responds as to how the staff is working towards keeping the elevators in good shape. “In the event of a malfunction, we work with our elevator contractor to get the problem rectified. There are many components to an elevator and we have worked towards modernizing them,” Reyes said.

The B and D hallway elevators are now functioning until further notice.