On February 13 the Monday after a large snowstorm hit, Patrick Standen was heading to the showing of “Not my Negro,” by James Baldwin at the McCarthy Art Center. The adjunct professor of philosophy was pulling into the handicapped spot. “It had not been plowed and the pathway looked unpassable for my wheelchair, so alas, I did not go.”

    Professor Standen, who navigates campus in a wheel chair, relies on the pathways and walkways being clear for accessibility to get from building to building. He believes that maintenance does the best to their ability but have technical limitations. As Standen navigates around campus in the sloshy conditions of the path he said, “So many people walk and make it slushy and I have to change my clothes because the wheel kicks up all kinds of mud and salt.” He said that this is just one of the many little things that affect him and other members of the community who have mobility issues. Standen often has a shovel with him to clear pathways to get to the building.

    In the future he said he hopes to see a more “responsible world” where faculty, staff, and students don’t rely on the over-worked staff and grounds to clear campus, but where people take more responsibility to help staff and grounds clear pathways.

    Standen suggests that to solve this problem our community needs to think “outside the box” and think about what sort of creative ways can be created to help our maintenance and our community to become a more accessible campus for folks with mobility issues.