2008 Woodie Awards
Editorial: Access denied
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
02/14/08 - If you're visiting a friend on the third floor of Hutchinson Hall, you simply walk in the front door and make the quick trip up the stairs. That is, if you're a healthy student who isn't on crutches or in a wheelchair.
Unfortunately Hutchinson, like 13 other residence halls, doesn't have an elevator, making it impossible for those with mobility impairments to visit hundreds of students who live above the first floor.
The problem is not limited to residence halls alone. Across the campus, the university is plagued by old, creaky elevators, crumbling sidewalks and door knobs unfriendly to those without good dexterity. Ironically, even the elevator in Health Services doesn't meet code.
University administrators appear to be genuinely concerned about opening campus to those with handicaps, but are caught in an endless battle for money.
A long-term plan prepared by the Office of Capital Projects shows the university needs $6 million to complete a lengthy list of accessibility projects that would upgrade elevators, fix sidewalks and create new wheelchair ramps. That might sound like a lot of money, but in the grand scheme of a $300 million university budget, it's pennies.
The university constantly preaches that its number one priority is providing education. But if some students cannot physically reach that education, all the university's hard work is for naught.
Of course, it doesn't help that the governor wants to cut $12.1 million from the university. With finances already tight, the university must start making difficult choices. It is extremely unfortunate, however, that the choice to provide a more accessible campus falls into the unnecessary column.
The ironic part is that the longer the university waits, the more the improvements will cost. Director of Capital Projects Paul DePace estimated the cost of completing the accessibility projects list has risen 20 percent in just the last three years. If the university continues to push off projects, the price will go up another 5, 10, 20 even 30 percent.
The delay also sends the wrong message to students in wheelchairs, on crutches or who simply have issues moving around. And it's an insult to professors who cannot reach her office for hours because an aging elevator went offline.
While such students and professors might be in the minority, they deserve a well-maintained campus with facilities that open new doors to higher education, and we hope the university will find the money to provide one.
Unfortunately Hutchinson, like 13 other residence halls, doesn't have an elevator, making it impossible for those with mobility impairments to visit hundreds of students who live above the first floor.
The problem is not limited to residence halls alone. Across the campus, the university is plagued by old, creaky elevators, crumbling sidewalks and door knobs unfriendly to those without good dexterity. Ironically, even the elevator in Health Services doesn't meet code.
University administrators appear to be genuinely concerned about opening campus to those with handicaps, but are caught in an endless battle for money.
A long-term plan prepared by the Office of Capital Projects shows the university needs $6 million to complete a lengthy list of accessibility projects that would upgrade elevators, fix sidewalks and create new wheelchair ramps. That might sound like a lot of money, but in the grand scheme of a $300 million university budget, it's pennies.
The university constantly preaches that its number one priority is providing education. But if some students cannot physically reach that education, all the university's hard work is for naught.
Of course, it doesn't help that the governor wants to cut $12.1 million from the university. With finances already tight, the university must start making difficult choices. It is extremely unfortunate, however, that the choice to provide a more accessible campus falls into the unnecessary column.
The ironic part is that the longer the university waits, the more the improvements will cost. Director of Capital Projects Paul DePace estimated the cost of completing the accessibility projects list has risen 20 percent in just the last three years. If the university continues to push off projects, the price will go up another 5, 10, 20 even 30 percent.
The delay also sends the wrong message to students in wheelchairs, on crutches or who simply have issues moving around. And it's an insult to professors who cannot reach her office for hours because an aging elevator went offline.
While such students and professors might be in the minority, they deserve a well-maintained campus with facilities that open new doors to higher education, and we hope the university will find the money to provide one.