Story by Holly Keating
The student club CIAO wants to say goodbye to inaccessibility at Auraria.
Rodney Dean, president of the Critical Issue and Awareness Opportunity group, recently submitted a letter to the Student Government Assembly’s Finance Committee requesting $500 to research how to make the campus more accessible for mechanically assisted students.
The funds are intended to gather plans about the sites and present them to Auraria Higher Education Center. The Finance Committee discussed CIAO’s letter in their meeting held 2 p.m. Oct. 5 in Tivoli 307. Eight MSU Denver students attended the meeting.
The committee’s discussions grew lengthy with questions, opinions and ideas. Many on the committee didn’t like the idea of spending money up front without talking to AHEC first. They also wanted to make sure CCD and UCD would be willing to split the funding three ways.
“If we don’t come [before AHEC] with a set of plans, then we are at the mercy of AHEC again, and it hasn’t been done before,” Dean said.
SGA Senator Ian Brown had a different opinion on how to possibly solve the issue without spending a dime.
“Take this to [the Americans with Disabilities Act], have the ADA re-evaluate our campus, which was originally designed for 15,000 students and [currently has] 50,000 students,” Brown said. “Maybe they will say that we need more ramps. If the say we do, then AHEC has to build them, or just put up a sign.”
Dean agreed with Brown’s ADA idea, but the ideas of signs didn’t sit well with Dean’s goals.
“If you want to go ahead and make the campus more accessible to more people, then we need to show that we are doing something different,” Dean said.
In a 4-1 vote, a motion was passed not to give CIAO the $500, but to compile the information and send it to the Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board and have them decide, since SACAB works with AHEC. Student Finance Chair Britta Hurula asked Senator Brogan Davey and Student Vice President Anthony Sylvester to take the matter to the committee.
“We are confident that the topic won’t be pushed aside, but will continue to be a joint effort, so all students have access to the whole campus,” Dean said.
Also during the series of SGA committee meetings, the Student Voice Committee placed a possible new campus smoking policy on their agenda. According to SGA meeting minutes, Student Voice Chair Joe Boss will be further working on this proposal.
For more information, or to volunteer with Metro’s club CIAO, please contact ciao.denver@gmail.com. Students with concerns can attend MSU Denver’s Student Voice public meetings held at 1 p.m. every Friday at the Tivoli, room 307.
People: Rodney Dean
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