WHEN I was in high school, I once slipped while running up the stairs and wiped out spectacularly in front of a very pretty girl.Although I escaped unharmed, in one fell swoop I completely demolished the suave aura I was vainly trying to project. Many people have a story similar to this, of ascending or descending stairs at a rapid rate and falling hard in front of people. It was certainly a moment I never hoped to relive, and I vowed to myself that I would be more careful climbing stairs in the future. Recently, however, the University gave me the opportunity to reprise my stairwell acrobatics. Going up the stairs in New Cabell Hall, I slipped and suddenly found myself in the middle of the flight of stairs on all fours. Again, the only thing injured was my dignity, but it could very easily have been my knees, ankle or head. The lack of traction on stairs in some of the older buildings, particularly in New Cabell Hall, is a matter of concern for most students, especially given the wet weather we have had of late.
The steps in New Cabell Hall have remained unaltered since the University built New Cabell in 1951 and are essentially unique among the staircases around Grounds in that they are interior stairs made of marble. While marble is attractive and very smooth, it is also quite slick, especially when it gets wet. In the words of Chief Facilities Officer Don Sundgren and director of Facilities Operations Chris Willis, "In our opinion, marble on the interior is not a great idea at all because of the maintenance issues."
These particular marble stairs have also suffered from 55 years of students going up and down, which, if you look closely, has left significant grooves in the front of the individual steps. This prevents the maintenance staff from covering them in the rubber tread found in other buildings and leaves them almost bereft of traction. The fact that they are interior stairs in a high traffic area also prevents Facilities Management from cordoning off the stairs during periods of inclement weather (which the staff does with outdoor marble steps), when the risk of injury increases.
The slippery nature of these stairs has long been a concern given the potential for injury; while serious injuries are rare, the odds increase significantly during rain and snowfall and remain a threat. A cost-effective, permanent solution, however, remains elusive although temporary, ameliorating measures are currently in place. According to Willis, in January of 2001Facilities Management teams sprayed a slight etching chemical on the stairs in order to provide a slightly rougher surface, which in turn would give those using the stairs improved traction.
Additionally, Facilities Management treats the stairs with a product called "FrictionStone" several times a week. During wet weather, they try to make sure the doormats are dry and able to absorb water from people's shoes. Because water exacerbates the traction problem so much, the maintenance people also run floor scrubbers after class hours to keep the floor dry. These procedures help but cannot completely counteract the slipperiness of the stone.
All of these solutions are only stop-gap answers. The only real solution is to remove the stairs entirely and replace them with steps made of another material. Unfortunately, to remove the steps would require a serious financial commitment; even the chemical spray applied in 2001 cost $5,000, and one can only imagine what replacing all the marble steps on the many staircases within New Cabell Hall would cost.
Indeed, the nearest permanent improvement may be the creation of the new South Lawn, in which there would be no New Cabell Hall, and presumably, no marble stairs. For the time being the Facilities Management staff should treat the stairs again with the chemical spray used in 2001 and continue to do so on an annual basis, instead of waiting over five years between major treatments.
While not a permanent solution, the treatment would at the very least reduce the risk of injury produced by the stairs until the South Lawn Project can be completed.The chemical spray is also relatively cost effective, especially compared to caring for student injuries.In the meantime, I suggest that you all take care, especially when running up the stairs, because there might be a pretty girl coming up behind you.
Robby Colby is a Cavalier Daily Viewpoint writer.
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 4 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 5 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
