Elevators in the high rise residence halls have been experiencing technical difficulties throughout the academic year.
Onondaga Hall has had one elevator out since November, which was recently fixed, but is still experiencing issues. Hart Hall often has one working elevator out of three. Seneca and Funnelle Halls’ elevators have also had varying technical difficulties.
The contract for elevator repairs is with Schindler Elevator, a company based in Switzerland, with headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey, and an office in Syracuse. Elevator repair workers are on campus every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
“The elevator contract is a statewide contract, it’s not just SUNY Oswego,” said Vice President of Residence Life and Housing Richard Kolenda. “SUNY wanted to save money and have the colleges buddy up and do multiple contracts. We buddy up on these things so you can get a better price and share services.”
Oswego State has had a contract with Schindler Elevator for more than 15 years. The contract is paid for using the room and board bill students pay to live in the residence halls.
“It’s pretty expensive to have a person here three days a week,” Kolenda said.
According to Utilities Manager Kevin Knopp, the elevators in Onondaga and Seneca Halls have had some upgrades which make certain, sensitive components time out or break, causing the elevator to be out of service.
Problems with the elevators can occur from two things, according to Kolenda. Behavioral problems occur when students cause the sensitive parts of the elevator to time out. Mechanical issues are problems within the elevator equipment itself.
Things that can short out an elevator include overloading, jumping, bouncing, banging on the elevator, prying the doors open or holding the doors open for an extended period of time.
“Students have to realize that those safety mechanisms are for them to be safe in that car,” Kolenda said.
Students who are found to have purposely damaged an elevator will be held liable for the destruction they cause. University Police monitors the cameras that are found in every elevator on campus, Kolenda said.
Students who are stuck in the elevators can be assisted by either University Police or the fire department, depending on the placement of the car when it breaks down.
When an elevator is out of service, it can take a very long time to repair them, Kolenda said.
“Sometimes, like an issue we’ve had in Onondaga, there were a couple of circuit boards that had to be replaced and refabricated,” Kolenda said. “Then [the repair company] found something else, then they found something else and sometimes the repair person doesn’t know what’s the problem so they call in other people to help troubleshoot the issue.”
Being an international company, Schindler Elevator can use any of its manufacturing facilities to produce the parts needed for the elevators.
“Most parts for [the Onondaga Hall] elevator are proprietary parts made to order, not stocked items,” Knopp said. “Meaning they have to be fabricated and are only available from the manufacturer, they are located in California.”
This is also the case in the Seneca elevators.
Maintenance staff at Oswego State have been trained to troubleshoot certain problems that occur when the elevator repair company cannot be on campus. However, if there is an emergency, the elevator repair company can be called day or night.
“We are at the mercy of the contract,” Kolenda said. “If Schindler is not doing their job then, like in any contract, the college and the state have methods to make it right.”
If students have any issues with the elevators and would like to voice their concerns, they can contact Kolenda.
