Vanderburgh Hall elevator back up & running

Vanderburgh Hall recently faced electrical issues with the elevator on Oct. 20.

The fire department had to be called for safety precautions.

Without the elevator it caused everyday struggles for students when carrying groceries or heavy loads of clothes. The elevator had been out of service for almost two weeks, but has since been repaired. Many students have heard rumors about an “elevator fire.”

Darlene Hernandez, homeland security, Indianapolis, said, “The elevator [incident] has made living on campus more difficult. I typically leave every weekend so it’s hard carrying all my laundry up and down the stairs.”

Hernandez later added that she’s thankful the elevator has been fixed.

Some students have said that it was a shortage in the wires or that the motor went out.

Andrew Young, director of architectural services and facilities, went  into detail about the motor overheating, which caused the pump to stop working.

When the pump went out the elevator automatically shut down.

“If the motor would have overheated to the point [that] it could’ve triggered the fire alarm then it could have potentially caused a fire,” explained Young.

The elevator is made to immediately come to the lowest floor and open its doors to release anyone on it anytime there is a malfunction. Electrical checks are performed yearly by Murphy’s Elevator company as  state procedure dictates. The elevators require different parts so when the parts were ordered it took a few weeks to receive.

The elevator in Vanderburgh Hall has now been fixed.

“There aren’t many things that can prevent a overheated motor, we just have to continue with our yearly checks,” said Young.