Orlean Beeson School of Education experienced a power outage last week, leaving Education and Family Science majors to adapt to a few days without power in their classrooms. Kitty Lavender, a staff member for Samford’s Facilities Management, provided insight on the situation.
“It was actually planned,” Lavender said. “We needed to replace a breaker in the elevator, so we ordered it but it wouldn’t come in until the next day. So the building had to use a generator until we could fix it.”
Two students weighed in on the recent outage and explained that although it was important to fix the elevator, their classes were interrupted. For many of these Education students, missing a day of learning can be inconvenient or even detrimental to their curriculum, considering that some education classes can be up to four hours or longer. Anna Caroline Kirkland, an Education major, said the outage interrupted her already busy day.
“It was weird to have (the outage) during the day and during class time because we had to change instruction on the spot. I had class from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the day of the outage, so it was a long day in general,” Kirkland said.
Other majors were left literally and figuratively in the dark as well. Human Development and Family Science major, Emma Peebles, also expressed her concern.
“I guess we made the best of the situation, but I am a notetaker for my class, so it was difficult to provide resources for the other students in the class,” Peebles explained.
Peebles went on to say she believes the outage is just a small part of a much bigger problem.
“Orlean Beeson School of Education needs some serious updates,” she said. “The bathrooms need to be renovated and more accessible, and the elevators were just recently fixed.”
A review by Crimson staff of elevators across campus showed that the elevators contain outdated inspection certificates, which has sparked concerns in students. One certificate in Ingalls Hall claims the last elevator inspection was in 2017. Despite the outdated certificates, Lavender, with Samford’s Facilities Manager, confirmed that the elevators are up-to-date on their yearly inspections, and the certificates simply need to be changed.
“They just need to be replaced,” Lavender said, in regard to the certificates. “The elevators have been inspected; we just did not have the new certifications. There was a hold-up with the state, Alabama Department of Labor; that’s who we get them from in Montgomery.”
Despite students’ concerns, Samford’s Maintenance Department was quick to solve the problem while ensuring that the elevators were safe for future use.
Staff Writer
