From a freshman’s perspective, Loyola is great. I love the school, the classes, the people, and dare I say it, even the food. But the elevators leave something to be desired. And when I say something to be desired I’m being modest.
They suck. They really do.
Don’t get me wrong. Everything else is fantastic, but God forbid you live on an upper level in one of the residence halls like I do.
If the elevator is out of service or you are fed up with it, the stairs just aren’t an option. I’m in Buddig Hall, and going down those 167 (and yes, I did say one hundred and sixty seven) stairs isn’t too bad. But going up?
It kills. Trust me.
It kills especially if you’re like me, and your asthma (oops, did I just reveal a dorky fact about myself to you?) starts to violently beat the inside of your chest cavity by the sixth floor. The next five to six flights? Total piece of cake.
No, actually, it’s like walking up and trying to breathe through a piece of cake.
For those of you who don’t have asthma, remember trying to breathe while playing chubby bunny around the campfire in elementary school? The sensation is similar, but there’s no laughter through marshmallow-filled mouths.
Instead, thoughts of “I just want to get to my room!” arise through a frenzy of labored breathing and tears.
Am I being too dramatic? Possibly. But the elevators on campus really are a pain.
I’ve learned in my few short weeks at Loyola that it can take anywhere from five to 10 minutes for an elevator to arrive in Buddig’s lobby in order to take me up to my dorm room.
And that’s just waiting for the elevator. Once I pack myself in between all the other sardines trying to get to their rooms, I have another five- to seven-minute ride. (God forbid someone just got back from the gym.)
Some call it “quality bonding time.”
I call it, “I’m tired and just want to put my heavy backpack down” time. Then…
Ding! Fourth floor. One less sardine now.
Ding! Seventh floor. Three less.
Ding! And I’m finally home.
I’m not going to lie to you though. Somehow they keep life interesting, those painstakingly long elevator rides. And I’ve actually made a couple of friends along the way. So I can’t complain too much.
But if the one thing that I don’t like about my school is just the slow elevators, then I think I picked my school well. And I’m certainly glad to be here.
Julia Hussey can be reached at
