Throughout this semester, The Sandspur has worked to expose accessibility issues at Rollins and secure safe, reliable mobility for all students and faculty. Now, it seems that the newspaper’s efforts have come to fruition.
Earlier this week, campus deans met with President Cornwell to solidify a milestone in Rollins’ history: In order to act on accessibility issues on campus, the group of top administrators have decided to replace all on-campus stairs with ramps.
They titled the initiative All-Access Rollins, to “emphasize the fact that we are increasing campus inclusivity,” said Brittany Rogen, dean of diversity.
The first phase of stair replacement will take place in front of Olin Library.
“We figured this would be the easiest place to start, since there are already ramps on either side,” Michael Anderson, dean of student life, said. “The meeting took about two hours; we had to figure out paperwork and logistics, but we knew this was worth it.”
According to Anderson, the front entrance of Olin will be closed for about three weeks until the concrete ramp is secure. Students should expect to enter only by the side doors closest to Ward Hall and plan accordingly.
The second phase of stair replacement will take place in the Cornell Campus Center, where an electric ramp will connect Dave’s Boathouse with the Marketplace.
While many students count this landmark decision as a win for the College, it has also been met with friction.
“I don’t like this idea because it will add more construction on campus,” Johnathon Meyer (‘21) said. “I understand why they want to do this, to include everyone, but getting around campus is hard enough without more construction.”
Meyer is planning on lobbying SGA to resist the deans’ decision, as he believes it will only cause more stress to students.
Rollins is the oldest college in the state and will now be the only college in the state investing so much in disability access. The majority of students have expressed support for this decision and commend President Cornwell and the deans for taking such thoughtful action.
“I think this is absolutely amazing,” Grace Liux (‘19) said. “Rollins has needed something like this for a long time.”
April Fools! The content in this article is meant to be read in satire and does not represent the opinions of The Sandspur, its staff, or Rollins College.
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