Living in the dorms at California State University, Bakersfield is supposed to make student life easier. It is meant to be a place where you can come back after a long day, relax, and not worry about basic things. But for students living in the pinyon dorms, something as simple as getting to their room has become a daily frustration because the elevators are constantly breaking down. 

At first, it might not sound like a big deal that the elevator is out and we have to takes the stairs, but the problem is it’s not just occasionally. It keeps happening and when you live on higher floors, those stairs stop feeling like a small inconvenience and start feeling like a daily obstacle. 

Think about it, you wake up, head to class, come back, maybe go out again, grab food, and do laundry, and every time you’re climbing up a bunch of steps. Now add a heavy backpack, groceries, or laundry basket to that. It’sexhausting, especially after a long day. The last thing anyone wants is to feel like they are doing a workout just to get back to their room. 

It gets even worse during move-in or move-out. Those days are already stressful enough because you are packing your entire life into boxes, trying to stay organized, maybe running on a little sleep. Now imagine doing all of that without an elevator. Students are stuck carrying heavy boxes, bins, and even small furniture up and down multiple flights of stairs. It turns what should take maybe an hour into something that can take half a day and leave you completely drained. 

Honestly, it just doesn’t feel fair. Students are paying to live here. Having a working elevator in a multi-story building shouldn’t be a “nice bonus,” it should be expected. When it keeps breaking down, it starts to feel like students’ comfort and needs that are not being taken seriously. 

There is also a fact that not everyone can easily take the stairs. Some students might have injuries, health conditions, or other challenges that might make climbing up the stairs difficult or even painful. But when the elevator is out, they do not really have another option, especially since we only have one elevator in our building. This is not just an inconvenience, but a real problem. 

Even for students who can take the stairs, doing it over and over again everyday takes a toll. It is tiring, frustrating, and honestly discouraging. Your dorm is supposed to feel like a place where you can recharge, but instead, it becomes something you dread a little because you know you might have to climb all those stairs again. 

What makes the situation more frustrating is how often it happens. If it were a rare issue, students would probably be more understanding. Things break sometimes, but when it keeps happening, it starts to feel like something is not being handled the way it should be. Students are left wondering why this has not been properly fixed yet. 

The solution should not be complicated because the elevators need to be maintained regularly so they don’t keep breaking down. When they do end up not working, the repairs should happen quickly. Even just having better communication lets students know what is going on and when it will be fixed and would help ease some of the frustration. 

At the end of the day, this is not just about the elevator. It is about what students experience every single day in a place that they are supposed to call home. Small issues like this can turn into big frustrations when it happens over and over again. 

Students at CSUB deserve better because we pay so much money for what things cannot work. They deserve housing that supports their daily lives, not one that makes simple things harder than they need to be. But fixing the elevators in the pinyon dorms might seem like a small step. But for the students living there, it would make a huge difference. Until it is the same routine, step after step, day after day. 

Overall, if nothing changes, this problem is only going to keep affecting more students each semester. What might seem like a small maintenance issue from the outside is, in reality, something that shapes students’ everyday lives and overall college experience. Fixing the elevators is not just about the convenience, but is about showing that student comfort, accessibility, and well-being actually matter. At some point, students should not have to keep adjusting to the problem because the problem should be fixed for them.