Among the business discussed at the Washburn Student Government Association’s Oct. 19 full senate meeting were SR 16-17 #005, Campus Accessibility Resolution, and #006., Campus Accessibility Tour.

Both resolutions address concerns over accessibility issues faced on campus, such as elevator failures which have caused significant problems for students with disabilities trying to get to and from class.

The first resolution strongly encourages Washburn University to treat elevators as an essential service and be proactive in their maintenance. It also calls for an investigation into procedures for the emergency evacuation of students with disabilities from campus buildings. Finally, WSGA wishes to partner with the university to create a committee comprised of students with disabilities, faculty and staff, among others, to address accessibility concerns on campus.

The second resolution makes WSGA responsible for a campus-wide Accessibility Tour to find areas on campus with potential accessibility issues. Their findings will be shared with the Full Senate, Jerry Farley, president of Washburn University, Farley’s executive staff and the Washburn Board of Regents. This inspection will ultimately lead to WSGA working with campus staff to resolve any accessibility issues found by WSGA.

With SR 16-17 #006, WSGA acknowledges their duty to ensure an equal opportunity campus and pledges to do all in its power and authority to ensure that Washburn University ‘s campus is fully accessible, not only to students with disabilities, but to everyone.

Both resolutions passed unanimously, with only the originator of each resolution abstaining.