Rouss Hall doors

The Lawn-side double doors at Rouss Hall used to open simultaneously. That is, if a person was trying to get into the building and pulled on the right door, the left would open also. The doors seemed to be on a pneumatic system which prevented the doors from moving at a high speed. The result was that both doors would open slowly, with just a sliver of space appearing in the middle through which to squeeze. This was a moderately frustrating phenomenon; the small middle opening led to collisions, the slow door speed led to frustration, and the high traffic through the doors led to congestion.

Photo by GFC, 2008.10.09

The door systems were adjusted and the doors no longer open simultaneously. They now open individually and respond to increased force. Of course, the handicap accessibility buttons are still operating and will open both doors simultaneously when pressed. Around the same time as this adjustment, yellow caution tape appeared around the north set of these doors. The entryway was inaccessible for several days. The remnants of this tape can be seen in the photo. Was the tape there to facilitate the door adjustment? One briefly interviewed maintenance worker believes the tape was to prevent traffic during a paint job.