While Harrison College House received a plethora of renovations over the summer, the elevators might not have received enough of a face-lift.
Throughout move-in and continuing into the beginning of the semester, many residents have been complaining about elevators operating erratically, moving slowly and opening strangely.
"The elevators are terrible, and so frustrating," Wharton sophomore Elizabeth Gay said. "I have to plan another 15 minutes into my day to get in or out of the building."
Elevator problems have been causing overcrowding and other frustrations. Although residents had to deal with overcrowding and malfunctions last year, it appears that recent issues have been more problematic.
"Three of the four elevators in Harrison House were tested throughout the summer," said Facilities and Services Director of Communications Tony Sorrentino, "and they were upgraded to accommodate heavy loads and for optimal safety. One of the safety components is a technology that shuts the elevator down if it senses a problem."
"During move-in, elevators take a heavy beating, and some of the students moving in kept the door open beyond the allotted time," Sorrentino continued. "The safety system read that as a failure and shut the system down."
Sorrentino also noted that other elevator problems could have been caused by students ramming their move-in carts into the doors, and in doing so, knocking elevators off their tracks so they could not open and close.
As of Tuesday, "the Otis Elevator Company is on site checking all systems," Sorrentino said.
However, these malfunctions have also been causing a number of other problems. When the elevators break or slow down due to increased use, overcrowding becomes another dilemma.
"A lot of the problems have to do with rules of elevator etiquette that people don't follow," said Jesse Salazar, a College senior and Harrison College House resident adviser.
He added, "We've always had problems with them, but there has been a lot of congestion."
These problems with congestion and overcrowding make it difficult for students and residents to get an elevator in a short amount of time, and malfunctions occurring over the past several weeks have slowed the process as well.
However, Sorrentino attempted to reassure the residents of Harrison House.
"Sometimes [the elevators] are slow, and sometimes they break down after heavy use, as would be the case during move-in," he said. "We always respond quickly in preparing them and get them running as quickly as possible."
