PantherNOW Editorial Board
For students, staff and faculty riding our elevators in recent years, the experience has gone down, down, down.
FIU needs to be more transparent with students regarding the safety of its elevators.
Elevators in areas with prominent student foot traffic like the Graham Center, Green Library and Deuxieme Maison each have certificates of operation that expired on Aug. 31 and needed to be renewed in 30 days to avoid incurring a fine— more importantly to prevent an accident.
It’s the beginning of October and no updates.
It was only after PantherNOW reached out to Facilities Management that Assistant Director Greg Burdine-Coakley confirmed via email that all elevators have received their inspection.
Burdine-Coakley also stated that FIU is behind in installing certificates and hoped to have them installed by “the end of next week.” We received this email on Sep. 17. As of Oct. 2, no new certificates have been placed.
The expiration date is the same every year, so what’s the deal?
If FIU is running behind on posting certificates to certify the safety of its elevators and those certificates are the only way anyone can know that his or her ride won’t end in disaster, shouldn’t they let students know?
Students have also reported elevators getting stuck before the expiration date, raising questions about whether the elevators are safe even with a certificate posted.
With the high admissions rate, the FIU population comprising 93 percent commuters and the parking nightmare having no end in sight, the dependency on elevators isn’t going away anytime soon.
For those with disabilities, elevators aren’t a nice convenience: They’re a necessity for getting to class. If an elevator malfunctions and goes out of order, they can’t get to class.
Not to mention special events like commencement when packed garages result in packed elevators.
It’s not just a wait. It’s a problem with possibly dangerous consequences.
The bare minimum FIU could do is send out an email about any steps or updates about the elevator situation. Until students see a renewed certificate of operation, however, we have no other choice but to hope the elevators remain safe enough. Transparency about elevator safety is an obligation, not an option.
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