Pine Hall resident stranded after elevator breaks

By Lawren Shepard
Campus Life Editor

When the elevator in Pine Hall broke down during February’s snowstorm, UNCP student D’Arcee Neal was stranded in his dorm room for several days. Neal, a freshman from Morrisville, N.C. uses a motorized wheelchair and lives on the third floor of Pine Hall. He spoke to the UNCP SGA at their March 3 meeting to give an account of his experience.

When the elevator broke down early Thursday morning, Neal was unable to return to his room. A resident advisor carried him up the stairs to his dorm room, leaving his wheelchair on the first floor. Neal spent the majority of the next four days in his room, unable to leave.

According to Neal, the RAs in the building knew of his situation and did not stop to check on him.

“I didn’t see one of their faces,” he said.

It snowed that day, and classes were cancelled. Neal used crutches to get to the first floor and a friend brought him food from the cafeteria.

The elevator worked briefly on Friday, but because he could not drive the electric wheelchair through the slush and puddles of melting snow for fear of it shorting out, Neal was still unable to leave. A friend called the cafeteria to ask if someone could bring food to Neal, given the circumstances.

“They told her that they don’t deliver food,” Neal said.

According to the student manager of the cafeteria (who is also an SGA senator), the cafeteria is required to deliver food to students if necessary.

A good samaritan overheard the conversation and brought Neal food instead. After his friends went home for the weekend, Neal was alone. He called the campus police department for assistance.

“The police told me they couldn’t take me anywhere because my chair wouldn’t fit in the trunk of their car,” Neal said.

The work order to repair the elevator was filed on Monday afternoon, and it was reportedly fixed by Tuesday.

“What enrages me is that [afterwards] people just said, ‘I was wondering about you, how you were getting food’,” Neal said. “And I wasn’t.”

Neal’s experience raised other concerns. The SGA discussed the safe evacuation of handicapped residents in the event of a fire or other situation where the building elevator is not working or otherwise cannot be used. There are several students at UNCP who use wheelchairs and who live on upper floors of the residence halls.

According to the Residence Hall Fire Evacuation Plan that is posted in all dorms, hall supervisors, resident advisors and campus police are to assist in the evacuation of handicapped residents.

Neal moved to campus at the beginning of the spring 2004 semester and was placed on the third floor because the rooms on the first floor were filled. He requires a single room in order to have enough space to maneuver and store his wheelchair.

“I think it’s important to understand what happens when the doors are closed and the parents aren’t here,” said Neal. He said his family is considering legal action against the university.