As everyone probably noticed, this past weekend campus got flooded with parents and families. Every year the college is proud to show off all the good work that they do to the parents and families of the students. This year, I was able to attend one of the panels discussing diversity and inclusion on campus. It was an interesting panel and everyone who participated made some great points, both positive and negative.
While I have in the past written a similar article, I again want to call attention to the many little things that Roanoke College could do to make our campus more accessible. These suggestions could potentially make a world of difference to students and their ability to move around campus.
The accessibility suggestions I have are things like adding railings, adding more lights around campus so at night it is easier to see, and keeping up with the maintenance on said lights. Many of the older buildings, like Morehead and the Administration building, do not have hand railing on the front stairs. This may not seem like a big deal, but for those who rely on railings for mobility purposes it is. Plus, having railings on steps is just generally safer. The ramp in the back of the Administration building is great, but it does not solve the problem of the lack of railings on the front steps.
As for lighting at night, it is somewhat lacking all over campus. There are two sides to this problem. For one, there are lights that will go out and not be fixed for at least two to three weeks. There are also lights on the Alumni Gym building that will go out right when people are walking past it. It can be really scary when you’re walking past and all the lighting just disappears. In my opinion, this is an issue and one that I hope can be solved. My second suggestion is to add more lights in areas without any. I have moved this semester to Bartlett, and one of the paths to the dorm has no lighting on it at night. This could be improved with the small addition of a light on the side of the Business Office building.
All in all, there are many little things, like what I have suggested, that would make campus not only more accessible but safer for people to get around.
Nina Earle
Staff Writer
