After three UW-Madison students were caught in a Sellery Hall elevator Sunday night, university officials said dorm elevator breakdowns are a frequent problem on campus.
According to University of Wisconsin Police Sgt. Jason Whitney, the students were in the elevator for approximately 30 minutes before the Madison Fire Department arrived to let them out.
Stuck elevators are a re-occurring problem in all buildings across campus, not just the dorms,"" Whitney said. ""The weird thing about this was that it took so long.""
According to Paul Evans, director of University Housing, housing staff cannot try to remove students from the elevators for safety reasons. He said students could be stuck for a length of time because the fire department officials are the only ones who can open the elevator doors.
Whitney said removing the students from the elevators might have been delayed because the fire department was responding to another call.
According to Jim Franzone, Sellery Hall area coordinator, dorm elevators are generally safe as long as residents do not destroy elevator equipment.
""When [the elevators] do malfunction, the most common reason is because residents try to fit too many people in at once,"" Franzone said. ""The most unsafe thing a resident can do in a situation like this is to try to pry open the doors '¦ the elevator is not going to fall, it's not like the movies.""
Evans said situations like the Sellery elevator incident are not unusual or hazardous.
""This wasn't a maintenance problem, the elevators were actually doing what they were supposed to do,"" Evans said. ""The elevator stopped because a device called an 'over speed trip' triggered and stopped it from a high speed.""
Evans said malfunctions are inevitable because residents in the dorms frequently use elevators but students should not worry about their maintenance.
