Abigail Youngblood, an English graduate student at CSU, Bakersfield, found herself riding in the Walter S. Stiern Library elevator, when she noticed the expired elevator permit. The permit expired on January 25, 2019, just over three months.

Youngblood’s immediate concern was safety.

“I have seen them expired before and I was trying to understand why this seems to be such a continuous, neglected issue at the school,” said Youngblood. “So many students ride the elevators everyday, it is truly putting students at risk to not have them checked regularly.”

The elevator permit is issued by the State of California through the Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety & Health, which states “No elevator shall be operated without a valid, current permit issued by the Division. The permit, or a copy thereof, to operate a passenger elevator, freight elevator or incline elevator shall be posted conspicuously and securely in the elevator car.”

“I felt uncomfortable and like the school was not prioritizing the safety of students on campus,” said Youngblood. “How can we celebrate and learn on a campus that isn’t looking out for us or our safety?”

Laura Medina, a junior sociology major at CSUB, expressed her concerns regarding the expired elevator permit.

“If tuition is so expensive you would expect CSUB to be in compliance with all the safety codes,” said Medina. “There is no reason they should be performing with expired permits.”

Medina mentioned that she will “probably avoid” riding the elevator once she learned the permit was expired.

Despite student concerns on safety, Paula Bray, Director of Facilities Operations mentioned that the elevators are safe, but did not respond to questions on the status of the library elevator permits.