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“I
understand malfucntions occur. They happen, but it’s frustrating.”
— Gregor Esch
student
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Failure causes problem for wheelchair-users
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Ty
Halasz/Photo editor
The elevator in Moudy Building South is out of service due
to a motor burnout.
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Moudy
elevator leaves some students stranded
By Jacque Nguyen
Staff Reporter
When Gregor Esch went to the Moudy Building South in his wheelchair
for class Friday, he didn’t expect to be stuck for three hours
on the third floor because the elevator had broke down.
Esch didn’t make it back to ground level until four or five
men carried him down the stairs in a gurney, he said.
“I don’t have (the stair) option like others do; I’m
stuck there,” said Esch, who is taking a speech communication
class in the Extended Education program.
Hollis Dyer, assistant director of building maintenance, said the
elevator in Moudy Building South broke down around 3 p.m. Friday
because a motor burned out.
The elevator was up and running again at about 4 p.m. Monday.
“I understand malfunctions occur,” Esch said. “They
happen, but it’s frustrating.”
Speech Communication chairman Chris Sawyer said he was angry and
made sure Esch was safe.
Marsha Ramsey, interim director of the Center for Academic Services,
said when an elevator breaks down, the Physical Plant notifies Disabilities
Services, which has the class schedules of wheelchair-users. She
said it will call and e-mail students that may be affected by an
elevator breaking down.
In Esch’s case, he said he couldn’t be notified because
he was in class and did not find out about the malfunction until
his class was over. He said he waited about 90 minutes before he
learned what was happening.
“It was frustrating that once it happened, it took that long,”
Esch said.
Jacque
Nguyen
j.f.nguyen@tcu.edu
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