By Nicole DeLapp
The Scene staff
It could have been anyone.
But Forest Park housekeeper Michael Rice was the person in the cafeteria elevator when it decided to stop working in September.
“I was trying to get off the elevator, and I pushed the buttons, but (the lights) didn’t come on,” Rice recalls. “That’s when I realized I was stuck.”
Luckily, Rice had a radio, which he used to call his supervisor. Then he waited about 30 minutes with his cartful of cleaning supplies.
“I was a little scared,” he said.
Ultimately, a team of five St. Louis firefighters got the elevator door opened and rescued him.
As it turns out, Rice was the second person to get stranded in the elevator, according to Ramon Cusi, facilities manager. The first was one of his employees.
The elevator has been closed ever since.
“I have to alleviate hazardous conditions,” Cusi said.
It’s unknown when the elevator will be repaired. It will depend on the budget, Cusi said.
Rice has been a housekeeping employee for 13 years. He never imagined that an elevator could be an occupational hazard.
The cafeteria elevator takes people up to the first floor of the Student Center, where the information desk, admissions office and Campus Life are located.
The age of the elevator is unknown, but the Forest Park campus was built in the 1960s, and it was equipped with elevators.
“It’s still out of service,” Rice said of the cafeteria elevator. “It needs to be remodeled. It’s an old elevator, and it really needs an update.”
An “Out of Order” sign now is taped to the door of the elevator, along with directions to an alternative near the Hospitality Studies building.
Elevators have been a sore subject at Forest Park for years. Many are slow, and they’re often in need of repair.
Elevators are particularly important for students, faculty and staff with disabilities and those who use wheelchairs.
Charles Jones, an employee in the Access Office, which serves students with special needs, said no one has formally complained about the cafeteria elevator not working.
“If someone were to file a complaint with us, we would definitely look into that,” he said.