The Gateway Residence Center stairs have been a burden for University students since their initial construction. With a seemingly endless number of impossibly steep flights, the stairs are a nuisance not only to Gateway residents, but to anyone who needs to quickly run uphill.

One such student, Stacy Coleman ’18, explained how the time-consuming trek has negatively impacted her life.

“Now that I live in Silberman, I have to wake up 25 minutes before class just to get there on time,” Coleman said. “I have to take breaks after every flight to catch my breath. It’s crazy!”

Another Gateway resident, Ella Vader ’19, reminded students that it is important to follow the University-mandated “stair-safety” protocols.

“This past week, when I was on my way to my 11 a.m. lab, I felt my foot slide out from under me, and wham! I was on my back,” Vader said. “I fell down every stair. Every. Single. One. Turns out that there was a banana peel at the very top.”

Luckily, Vader was unharmed from the fall. According to the medical team that examined her, the combined weight of her three biology textbooks and her double-stuffed North Face jacket broke her fall, potentially saving her life. In order to avoid these harrowing situations, students are advised to carry at least three times their body weight in learning materials at all times.

Despite these accidents, some members of the University community have found positive aspects to the stairs.

“Ever since I started living in the Gateways, I stopped working out entirely,” Brock Smith ’18 said. “Now that I climb those stairs everyday, I get more than enough cardio. My heart rate has dropped, and my calves look awesome!”

For the time being, it seems that the intimidating Gateway stairs are here to stay. Despite several motions by the student body to raise money for a potential Gateway Escalator Project, Bucknell Student Government has denied the call to action, claiming that a massive escalator cutting through the Grove would be “an unreasonable expenditure of our hard-earned Bison dollars.” For the time being, Gateway residents are invited to invest in hiking boots and CamelBak backpacks for safety and hydration on their way to morning lectures.