One of the elevators in Jordan Hall has been inoperable off and on for weeks and is beginning to cause problems for Information Technology and Instructional Media Services.

Jeff McGregor, information systems analyst, said IT is always thinking of ways to be prepared if the elevator is down.
“We just kind of expect it now,” he said.

Interim Vice President for Operations Gerald Carlson said repairs on the elevator are dealt with the same day that they are reported.

“The problems over the last couple of weeks are the result of the elevator doors being knocked out of alignment,” he said. “This type of problem is usually the result of some type of wheeled cart.”

When the elevator is down, IT must tell professors there is no way to get the computers to the classroom.

“[The professors] are very understanding, and they usually already know about the elevator,” McGregor said.

Lindsey VanWinkle, sophomore media, rhetoric and culture and digital media production major, works for IMS. She said it can be frustrating when the elevator is broken, because classes need the laptops.

“We can’t carry a 300-pound cart up the stairs,” she said.

IT is currently looking for open space on other floors to avoid disruption in delivering computer carts to classrooms when the elevator is down.

McGregor said the elevator takes about three minutes to get down to the basement, then three minutes to get to the second floor.

“We have to make sure that we leave 15 minutes before a class to get there on time,” McGregor said.

Because the elevator is so slow at times, it makes it difficult for IT and IMS to do anything other than delivery.

“It also affects bringing things back [to the office],” McGregor said.

Size is another issue. Only two computer carts fit into the elevator at a time. However, the elevator size cannot be changed because Jordan Hall is a national historical landmark.

While the elevator is causing problems for IT and IMS, there are no plans to replace it any time in the near future.

“The replacement of the Jordan Hall middle building elevator is put as a capital funding request each year,” Carlson said. “The replacement cost is substantial, and the unit is fairly trouble-free, so funding is not likely in the near term.”