Elevators play an integral role on the campus of John Carroll University for students, faculty and staff. Whether they’re used for transporting heavy equipment or carrying students who can’t use the stairwells, the elevators are an essential part of college life at JCU. So why do they keep breaking?
Maintenance has been performed on elevators around campus due to their complex nature, heavy use and numerous features designed to shut them down when irregularity is detected. This serves as an inconvenience to the JCU community as Facilities try to reverse the outages as quickly as possible.
Director of Physical Plant Jeremy Johnston told The Carroll News, “By far, the most common reasons for elevator downtime are issues with the elevator doors. This is largely because, aside from the call buttons, the doors are the component most frequently interacted with by users. For example, the recent downtime of the Dolan Hall elevator was caused by someone accidentally dropping a tack into the door track.”
“In any case, I imagine it would be a pretty big inconvenience for people who do actually need to use the elevators,” said Thomas Fogle ’26. “I also imagine those people are very annoyed when it happens, and especially because it happens so often.”
“Elevator downtime has been more noticeable to students this year because Facilities is sending more email notices about elevator outages, especially when a repair is expected to take more than a few hours or when the affected elevator is heavily used by the JCU community,” said Johnston. “This change aims to better alert community members with mobility challenges or those who need to move equipment, supplies or other large items when an elevator is unavailable.”
During the 2024-2025 academic year, there have been about 20% fewer elevator repairs requiring an extensive shutdown compared to the previous year. On average, a JCU elevator requires three or four maintenance calls annually. If a specific part isn’t required for a repair, then it is usually fixed on the same day or the next business day.
Every elevator at John Carroll is tested regularly, receives preventative maintenance and is in good working condition. However, the call button of the elevator located in the second floor hallway of Saint Ignatius Hall is not working and can no longer be replaced. The elevator will be fully modernized over the summer.
“I feel like people who don’t physically need to take elevators should take them less often,” Fogle said. “Probably one reason they break down as often as they do is because they’re being used too much, so this could maybe be a way to lessen the scope of the problem.”
“The situation with the elevators on-campus is incredibly frustrating,” said Jonathan Kay-Lord ’25. “As someone who is disabled, there were points in my life where I was awaiting surgery or was otherwise having trouble walking. The elevator went out in my dorm and the only option I had was to move dorms for a period of days. I worry more for students who cannot walk at all.”
Kay-Lord continued, “JCU has failed to live out the Jesuit Mission of being men and women for others regarding accessibility issues in their facilities. This has been a problem since my freshman year and I haven’t seen much improvement. I understand machines break, but the frequency of elevators breaking and the length of time some are out of order is unacceptable.”
Johnston said, “We specifically strive to limit the impact on community members with mobility challenges and those who need to move equipment, supplies or other large items.”
To reduce elevator shutdowns around campus, community members are encouraged to follow the proper elevator door etiquette. This includes never hitting it in any way, never pushing it open or shut manually, as well as never obstructing it. Only hold an elevator door open if necessary and only for a few moments.
If any issues arise with a JCU elevator, please submit a work order here. By doing so, it will help Facilities respond to the issue appropriately. Anyone who is particularly affected by an elevator outage is asked to reach out to Facilities so they can help accordingly.
