As students at Baruch College are concerned with the constant breakage and closure of the elevators in The William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus building, Baruch should make sure that it is compliant with all necessary elevator tests and inspections. Baruch should also provide accurate records of elevator issues and the reasons behind them.

All New York City buildings are required by the Department of Buildings to file all elevator inspections and tests on the DOB NOW website.

As of January 2022, all NYC buildings must file a periodic inspection along with a Category 1 test each year. Category 5 tests must be done every five years. For each Category 1 test and periodic inspection filing that is accepted with defects, a subsequent affirmation of correction must be filed with the department to prove the correction of the defects.

The lack of timely inspections and defect corrections is a cause for worry among students.

According to the DOB NOW public records, Baruch failed to submit an affirmation of correction to correct defects in several elevators in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Baruch most recently filed periodic inspections for all elevators in the NVC building on December 2023, but only three of its 13 elevators were inspected back in 2022.

Baruch’s Facilities and Operations page describes a different story.

“Because of our reliance on vertical means of transportation, Baruch College has made a significant investment in ensuring our elevators are functioning and in service including: Services from an on-site third-party provider to maintain our elevators on a daily basis and Regular independent inspection and testing,” Baruch’s Facilities and Operations stated in its elevator information update.

The New York City Fire Department has regularly been called to help people out of broken elevators. At least two of these incidents have occurred less than two months into the spring semester.

Moreover, there is no clear record of which elevators have broken down or how often.

The large elevators in the NVC get very crowded, especially during the rush hours between classes. Overcrowding and over-enrollment may contribute to the overuse and frequent breakage of the elevators.