CSUS gets a B for access

Just how accessible is Sac State to wheelchair students? Over the past several years, there have been a number of construction projects on campus from the Union expansion to Placer Hall to the new entrance to the Guy West Bridge.

When a student looks around the tree-filled campus in which we develop our minds, a striking contrast arises almost immediately. There are "old" buildings - such as Alpine, and Brighton Hall - and there are "new" buildings, like Mendocino, Placer, and Solano Halls. All of the "newer" buildings on campus have doors that operate automatically through censors. On the other hand, some of the "older" buildings require manual labor to open which is just fine for ambulatory students, but not that wonderful for someone confined to a wheelchair.

As a wheelchair student, these striking contrasts in the buildings which we enter to help develop our minds are very evident to me. While I certainly do not blame university officials for this dichotomy - a university uses a building for as long as it serves its purpose - I do find a remarkable contrast in the building code requirements, which certainly has been altered over the years.

While ambulatory students probably ignore - or perhaps do not even consider - such issues as "Does this door have an electronic eye sensor triggering the door to open?" it is certainly in the front of themind of myself and several of my wheelchair-bound friends.

Another building in which I find intriguing is the newly expanded Union. When anyone goes through the main entrance, southeast of the Library, they have to go through two sets of doors. The first set of doors, which brings a person to a general "lobby" area, is an automatic "eye" sensor door.

However, the doors that a person goes through in order to go from the "lobby" area into the actual Union are not automatic sliding doors. An oversight perhaps, but an architectural decision whichleads someone like me to ask, "Just what were you thinking?" To the staff responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Union, I thank you for making sure those doors are propped open everyday.

This university, in which we entrust to assist us in liberating our minds, is certainly an interesting place to observe the subtleties of unintended consequences. The Guy West Bridge's new ramp brings a concern to wheelchair students, which the State Hornet has recently covered.

Personally, I have no trouble with this new approach to the bridge since my electrically-powered wheelchair handles the incline without significant problems. However, I can easily empathize with my physically-challenged friends who are currently facing this inconvenience.

While I am not attempting to perch myself on a "soapbox" and demand immediate changes, I am trying to invite individuals to use their critical thinking skills in the future. What seems to be just a simple observation has the potential to make one analyze how people think about their surroundings.

To answer my initial query, "How accessible is Sac State?" Since this is an institution of higher learning, I would issue a grade of B or B-.