Ryerson recently announced that it will be removing the escalators in the Podium building and replacing them with stairs.
The initial thought is that it is a lot of stairs when you have to travel up that high. The escalators are a relief for those slightly out of shape, and further, for those who don’t want to walk into class sweaty and out of breath.
Of course there is still the option of the elevator, but if you appear capable of walking up stairs, you are given dirty looks even for wishing to use it.
However, the second thought was a realization. The escalators do not work most of the time anyway. It was just as frustrating to reach the escalators and realize your moving transportation had come to a standstill.
Those mechanical problems were what brought the issue to the top of Ryerson’s to-do list. Students began complaining that they were old, ugly and useless, much like a lot of things around campus. Kerr Hall is a perfect example. It is the building everyone loves to hate.
It reminds people of high school, the hallways are confusing and it leaks. But at the same time it dates back to the beginning of Ryerson and how do you get rid of something that has been a part of Ryerson for so long?
Ryerson has created many new buildings, like the Image Arts Centre, which bring a modern twist to campus. However, university officials need to remember to preserve the history before it is too rundown to appreciate.
This story was first published in The Ryersonian, a weekly newspaper produced by the Ryerson School of Journalism, on March 5, 2014.
Jamie graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism in 2014. She was an intern at Global News focusing on editing and worked for the Ryersonian.