Breakdown

About 20 students were trapped in a Quincy House elevator Saturday night for nearly half an hour before prying their way out.

Ronni Levesque, Quincy House superintendent, speculated the large group overloaded the elevator's weight capacity, causing the breakdown.

Alvin Bunis '79, one of those trapped in the elevator, said about ten women and ten men "crammed" into the elevator on their way to a party on the sixth floor.

The elevator first descended to the basement, then stalled between the second and third floors, students who were in the elevator said yesterday. "We started pressing buttons, but nothing worked." Richard Arnos '79 said yesterday.

People remained calm, however, Arnos said. "We pressed the alarm periodically and yelled for help, but nobody became hysterical," he added.

Heat in the elevator posed the biggest problem, students said, but after 20 minutes three of the students opened the doors with the help of students on the third floor.

"It wasn't worth the trip up," Arnos said.