Elevators were once considered a perfect place for pranks, but students have recently turned to more harmless entertainment in fear of being caught on camera or getting hurt.

More than one person has been honored, posthumously of course, by the Darwin Awards for elevator-related incidents. It's an honor UAF hopes to help students avoid by installing cameras in the elevators.

"There have been issues with people vandalizing elevators," said Associate Vice Chancellor Don Foley. "That's been a semi-regular occurrence over the years."

According to Kevin Huddy, director of Residence Life, installing cameras in the elevators has helped cut down vandalism.

Most of the problems with elevator vandalism concern money and safety, Foley said.

"It's a pretty large bill to fix whatever has been broken, but now we can usually assign the cost out to the person who caused it," he said.

Last year, a student playing with the doors of an elevator in the dorms was caught on tape and charged for more than $1,000 of damage, Foley said.

When people punch buttons, pry the doors open, jump up and down, or otherwise play with the elevator, the unit locks up until officials with the physical plant or fire department arrives to trip the affected mechanism and get it working again, Foley continued.

"People stuck between floors can be bad," Foley said. "It hasn't happened here, but there have been deaths on other campuses."

The higher education community was caught off-guard in October when 24 students at Ohio State University crammed into an elevator. It had a maximum weight of 2,500 pounds, and had been exceeded by around 1,000. As the last student, Andrew Polakowski, entered the elevator, the car began to drop. He was pinned and killed.

More common than death, a stuck elevator turns into a scary situation for a passenger who is claustrophobic, said Foley.

"General wear and tear can also cause problems with the elevators," Foley said. "More heavily used elevators break down from time to time."

To prevent getting worn out, Huddy said elevators that seem to be on their last legs are eligible for UAF's elevator rehabilitation program. The program, usually completed in less than 12 steps, services elevators with the updates necessary to make them run more smoothly.

Despite having recently gone through the program for a mechanical update, the Skarland Hall elevator was still troubled Friday morning when it stopped between floors. The 13 unlucky passengers, mostly prospective students, were on their way up to the fourth floor viewing room.

Friday's incident was more likely the result of general wear and tear than vandalism, Huddy said.

"The issue was resolved within minutes," said Huddy. "The elevator was overloaded, but according to the repair person it should have held that many people, but didn't. Someone will have to look at it again soon."

Skarland residents have many more stories about their elevator, which they claim is known for being slower than the ones in Moore Hall.

"I know people who have been in the elevator when it started moving before the doors were closed," said UAF student Kara LaRue, 18. "And it isn't uncommon for the doors to open before it comes to a complete stop."

Skarland residents enjoy taking advantage of the speed for pulling pranks outside the elevator, like running up the stairs to scare friends when the elevator finally arrives, LaRue said.

Unlike Moore, where students can feel the elevator move in their stomachs, the Skarland elevator doesn't cause any stomach-flops, said LaRue. Elevator parties are some residents' favorite way to take advantage of that.

"They're fun and they usually involve food," said Casey Bickford, a 17-year-old UAF student. "We sit on the floor and eat cheap generic cereal or ice cream and greet people coming in with a cheery attitude. It's a good way to meet people."

A look at past elevator entertainment backs up Huddy's belief that elevator use is less malicious than in the pre-camera days.

"I think I remember someone setting fire to a paper bag in the Bartlett elevator once," said UAF student John Ashcroft, 26.

Ashcroft also recalled a time when students damaged an elevator light and it was dark for months.

"We need to be careful because they're very strong machines, and they're not toys," Foley said. "They're very expensive pieces of machinery, and we need to treat them with respect."