Mikaela Tierney/The Mirror
Last Friday, a group of students filled the staircases of Jogues Hall in protest of the termination of elevator service for the remainder of the academic year due to excessive damages.
About 30 students – both Jogues residents and other Fairfield students – lined each level of the staircase in the building in a visual demonstration, highlighting the impact the lack of an easily accessible elevator has on disabled residents. Residents can now access the elevator only by visiting either the Residence Life or Public Safety Offices to sign out a key to operate the elevator.
By restricting the access of such facilities and equipment, Residence Life is infringing upon Fairfield students’ rights as outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“Is it a right or a privilege?” asked Shawne Lomauro, Resident Assistant on the fourth floor of Jogues. “They’re treating it as a privilege right now, but it IS a right.”
The ADA was turned into law in 1990 in order to protect the rights of disabled Americans across the country. It outlines a number of important requirements in all areas of public life to ensure fairness and equality to all. In section 35.133 of the Maintenance of Accessible Features section, the ADA outlines that “a public entity shall maintain in operable working condition those features of facilities and equipment that are required to be readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities by the Act or this part.” It continues to note that “this section does not prohibit isolated or temporary interruptions in service or access due to maintenance or repairs.”
Initial damages first occurred last semester around the end of October. An unknown individual or group of individuals had burned obscenities into the ceiling of the elevator car with a cigarette lighter. Fire Marshal Joseph Bouchard has been a part of this ongoing case from the beginning.
“Arsonists start small, but it generally leads to something larger,” said Bouchard. Students were warned that possible repercussions would occur if the damages persisted. Bouchard is “always concerned” when an elevator is involved in dorm damages because “smoke and flame and heat can spread rapidly” and cause serious problems.
Similar arson-related damages occurred again in the Jogues elevator in the beginning of February, causing the elevator to be shut down for two weeks as a warning. When service was restored, residents were warned that if any more incidents were reported, the elevator would be turned off indefinitely. On Feb. 17, after a report was issued about an attempt to pry the buttons off of the elevator panel, the elevator was turned off for the rest of the academic year.
According to an e-mail sent to Jogues residents from Area Coordinator Ange Concepcion on Feb. 17, the elevator was shut down because “someone tried to pop the buttons out of the elevator with a screwdriver,” causing “significant damage to the buttons and the panel.” However, the decision to shut down the elevator was not made by Concepcion; it was a joint decision between Bouchard and Residence Life.
“It’s a shame we all have to suffer for a few people’s actions,” said Shannon Mascia, Vice President of Jogues Hall. She also noted that while the elevator is convenient for many residents to have, its use is essential for others.
The true problem arises when the disabled students and campus residents are considered. With four floors of rooms, an additional lower entry-level ground floor and a winding staircase throughout the building, Jogues is not an easy building to maneuver. For a student with disabilities, an elderly visiting grandparent, or a visiting guest with health problems, the trip upstairs can be a serious challenge.
The e-mail sent out to the 310 Jogues residents outlines instructions for gaining access to the elevator. It informs students that they “will need to go to Residence Life to sign-out a key for a certain period of time” although the office is only open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If students need access to the elevator outside of these office hours, they must call Public Safety to check out an elevator key for a limited time.
Lack of access not only affects Jogues residents, but also other students at Fairfield. A disabled student cannot meet with a group to work on a project in the fourth floor lounge because he or she cannot climb the stairs to meet the other group members. Even if they do not live in the building, lack of equipment like the elevator still impacts them.
“The shutting down of the elevator is making distinctions between people,” said Corey Novak, President of Jogues Hall. In regard to the reason why you need elevator access in the building, Novak said, “You shouldn’t need to explain yourself.”
“Students pull [exit signs] down all the time, but they don’t turn them off,” said Lomauro. “Damages to the elevator, though, and they shut it right down.”
The limitations on mobility imposed by the lack of a functioning elevator make certain residents feel spotlighted in their own home, a place where they are supposed to feel comfortable and safe. It is also a place for which they pay to reside, with full amenities and access for all residents to all areas of the building in a fair manner.
Lomauro was especially frustrated with the situation. “I’m not a Residence Life assistant, I’m not a Public Safety assistant, I’m a Resident Assistant,” she said. “I’m an advocate for my residents, and it is not acceptable that my residents do not have access to this basic right.”
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