The elevator in Duke Hall has been broken and out of operation for the past five days. Repairs, held up by lasting pandemic-era supply-chain issues, are expected to take approximately two weeks.

A malfunctioning hydraulic valve is at the root of the problem. A hydraulic valve is a mechanical device that controls the flow, pressure, and direction of hydraulic fluid that make the elevator move up and down. Kevin Anderson, Physical Plant’s director of operations and maintenance, said the broken valve is causing issues with the elevator’s sensors when someone wants to go down from an upper floor. 

“[The elevator] goes ahead and brings the person down, but then it’ll lock itself out until we have to have a technician come in and look at it,” Anderson said.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have lingering effects on the maintenance part ordering process. “They can get everything ordered and try to get material and stuff, and it’s never recovered since COVID,” Anderson said. “It takes longer to get parts than it used to, but they’ll get on it [and] try to get here as soon as possible.” 

On Feb. 12 RLO sent an email to the student body warning that the power in Duke might be impacted by repairs in the building. Anderson said power issues in the building were unrelated to the elevator, and had to do with library construction. 

“We were having to shut off the switch that went to for the new project at the stadium library,” Anderson said. “When we did that, that dropped power out just momentarily for the generator to kick in, but that had nothing to do with the elevator.” 

Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life, LaFarin Meriwether, corroborated that the power issues were unrelated to the elevator repairs. “Residents were notified on 2/12 that while work was being done in the building, on something not elevator related, and they may experience flickers during that time,” Meriwether wrote in an email to The Davidsonian. 

Rose Cecchi ’27 lives in Duke. She said the broken elevator has added to the time it takes for her to leave the building. 

“[On] my side of Duke, we don’t have access to the first floor, [it’s] only for emergency exits, so I have to walk all the way to the other side and go up three flights of stairs, and it really delays me getting to my classes,” Cecchi said. “The elevators have just been kind of finicky for weeks […] I sent in something about it, and now it’s broken-broken.”

Annabel Groseclose ’27 also lives in Duke. She described the repairs as minorly disrupting. “It’s kind of annoying to go up, because I live on the other side of Duke […] from the first floor, you can’t get to the stairs over that way […] on the union side of Duke. You have to use the stairs on the main street side of Duke. So I have to walk up and then walk all the way around,” Groseclose said. 

When it comes to accessibility, Meriwether emphasized that no Duke Hall residents have been directly affected by the temporary closure. “Those we know with accessibility needs are able to navigate the building during these repairs,” Meriwether wrote.

Still, Anderson insisted that a quick repair process is a priority whenever dorm elevators are malfunctioning.

“Usually if an elevator goes out, no matter if there’s a handicapped student or not, we try to get it back up,” Anderson said. “We’ll call it in for overtime hours, just in case a student wants to visit their friend in their building, or they want to go up a floor.”

As the repair process continues, Duke Hall residents can defer to RLO for updated information.

“As was shared with residents, we will update them accordingly about the repairs,” Meriwether wrote.