The eighth floor entrance to Lee Hall allows students to access campus while avoiding most stairs.
CUPPEK PHOTOGRAPHY LLC / COURTESY
Barbara Vasquez, Production / Web Editor
The topic of accessibility at Manhattan University has been long discussed, yet it still remains a concept that can go overlooked by many.
Some vocalized concern about accessibility at MU simply stems from the actual location of the school. Due to being built on a hill, the university relies heavily on stairways to connect different areas of campus. At first glance, MU may seem somewhat inaccessible to individuals with mobility issues, but the school is fully adherent to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) mandates. Current executive vice president of business operations Rani Roy, Ph.D., spoke to The Quadrangle about the challenges that arise from campus’ location.
“I think physical location can be challenging, but we’ve worked to ensure that not only are we [ADA] compliant, but that we try to support individuals who have mobility issues,” Roy said.
Though campus is in accordance with ADA regulations, some handicapped students can still struggle with getting around. Ellie Krumm, a freshman at MU, was recently put in a straight leg brace and left to use crutches for the remainder of the semester. She spoke to The Quadrangle about what her experience was like while using crutches on campus, and shared that the closing of the Horan and Lee Hall eighth floor bridges on the weekends served as a substantial obstacle for her to deal with. For Krumm, traveling from Lee Hall to the quad and its surrounding buildings proved to be much more difficult on the weekends due to this circumstance.
“In order to make it to Thomas Hall, O’Malley Library, or Kelly Commons I would have to take at least one-two flights of stairs which is quite inconvenient with crutches,” Krumm wrote to The Quadrangle. “I made it work but it did take me significantly longer. While this is just mildly frustrating for me, I don’t see how someone with less mobility than me would be able to navigate campus at those times.”
Krumm also noted the frequent elevator breakdowns throughout campus as another factor that could possibly hinder people’s ability to reach certain areas of the school.
In terms of academic accessibility, Krumm was able to receive sufficient accommodations for her injury. After recommendation from a public safety officer, Krumm reached out to the Center of Academic Success (CAS) to seek out what support she could get for class.
“I spoke to someone in the CAS office and they informed me that there is no set protocol to follow when a student is injured, so they didn’t have any specifics on how to help me,” Krumm wrote to The Quadrangle. “While they tried their best, I decided to reach out to Dean Guirguis and ask for his opinion on the matter. While I had already informed my teachers of my injury and how it might affect my attendance, Dean Guirguis told me that he would also speak to my professors and help resolve this issue. Thankfully, it all worked out and my professors helped me set up a plan to complete the lessons and work for the remaining three weeks and they coordinated with me regarding finals.”
For most accessibility issues, it’s recommended for students to reach out to the Specialized Resource Center (SRC) to receive accommodations.
“Students should really know that they should engage with the SRC if they have anything going on – it’s an easy way for them to ‘raise their hands’ if they need something,” Roy said. “I would also say that advisors are able to connect students to the right resources if needed, as should almost any employee on campus.”
For more complex accessibility needs, students can reach out to the school’s Campus Assessment, Resource and Education (CARE) team. The CARE team is composed of faculty from the counseling center, SRC, public safety, health services, residence life, advising and the dean of students. Carol Ciancutti, director of MU’s counseling center, considers the team an important resource for both students and faculty to have.
“The reason why it’s important for all of us to be there is because there’s always different concerns,” Ciancutti said. “There’s academic concerns, safety concerns, housing concerns, mental health concerns. Through CARE, we all work together to take the best care we can of the students.”
Since being appointed director of the counseling center, accessibility and awareness to the mental health resources the center provides has been the focal point of Ciancutti’s initiatives.
“When I started as director, one of my goals was really to do more outreach on campus so students know what’s available, where the counseling center is and how to make an appointment,” Ciancutti said. “I think all those things are really, really important.”
In the past, the center has spoken at student orientation and collaborated with groups throughout campus in efforts to be as approachable as possible. At the end of each semester, visitors are also given the ability to submit evaluation forms detailing their experiences with the center and identifying possible areas of improvement.
“We send out an evaluation asking what year the student is, how long they’ve been coming, who they see, what worked, what didn’t work– it’s quite an extensive evaluation,” Ciancutti said. “We as the clinicians really try to make sure as many students fill that out as possible, because that’s a way that we get feedback and we can know what we could do better. That’s really important information for us to have every year.”
For general feedback on accessibility, students can speak with the SRC or CARE team. If particular issues are continuously brought to light, administrative attention will be brought to them.
“If we see a theme or if there’s something that comes up that’s recurring, it would absolutely be discussed within that group and then forwarded to the right individuals to address it,” Roy said.
While MU is an accessible school in most senses, there still are overlooked issues of concern. However, the university is committed to improving its accessibility in any way possible.
“I think accessibility is something that needs constant attention,” Roy said. “It’s not a one and done type of thing. You have to think about accessibility across all different areas, and when you do that, the work is never complete. There’s always more way to to think about both our systems and our processes to ensure that they’re supporting individuals in the best way possible.”