If there is one thing that POSTECH students complain about their school, it is the 78 stairs between the dormitory area and the lecture halls. Climbing 78 stairs in the morning, or at any time, is so tiring that the sound of huffing and blowing fill up the scenic view above the stairs. Some students even prefer to take a longer trip around the campus to avoid the stairs. While that is the case for the majority, the unignorable problem exists for the people with disabilities for whom the 78 stairs feel like a mountain. For the disabled, the 78 stairs not only take tremendous amount of effort but also their time.

To counter that problem, the office of Facilities Management team had planned to build an elevator next to the 78 stairs. There were some confusions whether the office of  Facilities Management has actually decided to build the elevator or it is merely a rumor spread by those who simply wished there were an elevator. It turned out the former was right.

In the interview with Kwon Hyun-woo from the office of Facilities Management, Kwon declared that this accessibility improvement project for the disabled is scheduled and is “currently waiting for the authorization.” He added that the project is “expected to be authorized by this November and the elevator construction is projected to be completed by March of 2019.” However, if the approval takes longer, the projected term can be elongated.

Because elevators have low capacity of passengers, there are students who worry that the line in front of the elevator before classes will be so long that people will prefer stairs to avoid tardiness. To such concern, Kwon indicated that “there will be two elevators” constructed in the tree area neighboring the 78 stairs and the “elevators have two stops only,” below the 78 stairs and above. If that is the case, the line will clear rapidly and there will be no problem.