Northwestern State University of Louisiana now experiences elevator issues beyond the well-known recurring issues of John S. Kyser Hall, as Bienvenu Hall joins the out-of-order trend.
Last week, a student was stuck in the elevator of Bienvenu Hall and Dale Wohletz, physical plant director, explained the incident.
“I got a call from University Police that a student was stuck in the elevator,” Wohletz said. “I went to the building and the elevator was on the first floor, but the door would not open.”
Wohletz was able to safely get the student out of the elevator with an elevator key and ensure it would not happen again for the time being.
“After the student was out, I ran the elevator up and down a few times. The door would not consistently open so I turned the elevator off so no one else would get trapped in the elevator,” Wohletz said.
Alyssa Parker, sophomore biology major, often has classes in Bienvenu Hall and said she had no knowledge of the incident.
“There were not any signs put up for anyone and no one was given information towards the elevators having issues,” Parker said. “We have not been told about how the issue was resolved, I know they ‘fixed’ it but they always fix it and it happens again.”
Parker feels this issue needs urgent attention and the utmost importance to avoid greater issues.
“I feel like this incident shouldn’t be something that is happening, they need to replace the elevators before something really bad happens and someone is injured,” Parker said.
Jennifer Kelly, director of university affairs, was also unaware of the incident, but she provides details on the aftermath of the incident.
“University Police and the Physical plant staff responded to the call and signs were placed after the malfunction of the elevator,” Kelly said. “NSU has a contract with an elevator repair company, the necessary parts have been ordered, and the company has requested overnight shipping.”
Wohletz added more about the contract NSU holds for elevator repairs.
“The university has a contract with Oracle Elevator to repair and perform preventive maintenance on the elevators,” Wohletz said. “Also, the elevators are inspected by an independent inspector that is sent by the State to ensure the elevators are safe and meet the present safety codes yearly.”
A contractor from Oracle Elevator was able to come on campus and access the issue with the Bienvenu Hall elevator.
“Most of the problems are with the door operator. I called the contractor that repairs the elevators and told them what it was doing. They were in Natchitoches at the time and came on campus to assess the problem,” Wohletz said.
Wohletz said that they are planning to upgrade the door operator.
“The elevator in Bienvenu was renovated about 10 years ago, it’s one of the newest on campus. We are looking into upgrading, this should improve the reliability on the elevator,” Wohletz said.
Kelly ensures the issues are being taken care of.
“We continue to address all elevator issues with our repair vendor as well as with the state,” Kelly said.
