Delta’s campus has experienced major elevator repairs since the summer semester that have caused frustration for students and staff.
Two of the many students affected by these repairs, Joy Ross and Anthony Owens, give opinions on
Delta’s elevator maintenance issue.
“Four out of five of my classes had to be moved. One woman in particular would flip me off every time I saw her in class. Mostly it was a joke, but she really wasn’t happy with the move, neither were some of my teachers. They complained that the temporary classroom was too small. I totally agreed with them. The classroom was about 1/2 the size of the regular room. Oh, it also took about 2 weeks to get one class moved, so we are about two weeks behind and have been playing catch- up. One of the classes got moved into an auto mechanics room, which made it difficult. We had to spend time at the beginning and end of class getting laptops and returning them. It has made it difficult for the teacher to conduct the class,” said Joy Ross, a Delta student.
“I had to start all my classes two weeks later… Imagine how much you’d miss… Three out of four of my classes they put on the third or fourth floor which obviously I’m in a chair they could’ve researched that … and they didn’t,” said Anthony Owens, a Delta student.
“My peers are a bit varied on their reactions. Some will step in front of my scooter, others will hold doors. I have had students see me com- ing and intentionally cross over to the side of the path I was on and just glare at me. When there is a group standing around blocking a path and I say excuse me, some may say sorry and move, others move but give me a dirty look,” said Ross.
“This problem could easily have been avoided. They were going to fix the elevator in Shima in the summer but didn’t. From what I un- derstand, the contractor couldn’t be bothered to order the parts, so the maintenance had to wait. I think going with the lowest bid is not always the smartest idea. Whoever is checking the bids should first check them to see that they are all inclusive of what was actually put out to bid and make sure that the bidder is reputable. The lowest bid is not always the best bid,” said Ross.
“There is another maintenance issue besides the elevator in Shima. They have torn up the sidewalk, blocking access to the back of the Shima building where the handicapped parking is. Now, instead of being able to walk directly into the building, you have to go to the space between Shima and Danner and go around that way to get back to the build- ing. That is another issue that should have been handled this summer instead of waiting for the fall semester. I have no idea how long this is going to be like that. I checked it the other day when I was trying to find out about the elevator. Really, this could have been handled much differently as well. It’s tough to get to the handicapped ramp if they are blocking it,” said Ross.
“They were really absent minded when they made this decision to work on all the elevators at once. Did they talk to anybody that would actually have to use [the elevators]? There’s a lot of people who use the elevators who could just walk up the stairs but for us, we’re stuck. There’s nothing we can do,” said Owens.
“It still kind of gets to me. One of my instructors … was frustrated that he would have to move. And he told the class that he was frustrated and he wasn’t frustrated at me in particular but you know having to move all those students … of course some students aren’t gonna to know … it’s just a hassle. And even some of the instructors don’t even know,” said Owens.
“I just honestly think that when they make decisions like that could affect certain parts of the student body … they should at least talk to people from that part of the student body. At least get our opinions,” said Owens.