2008 Woodie Awards
Class Critiques Our Campus
Jackie Abrams
Issue date: 1/16/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Last semester, the Sophomore Honors class envisioned a better campus with more accessible pathways and buildings for students, and a more beautiful campus with plenty of green space. They highlighted what they saw as some of the major problems with the campus and shared with the audience their proposed solutions. On Thursday, December 8, in front of a large group of students and faculty, the Sophomore Honors class gave a presentation titled "Clarkson Campus Landscape - Functional Routes and Enhancing Community Paths." Ben Brown-Steiner, Margot Epstein, Niall Mangan, Blake Conley and Jeff Ward led the presentation.
The first overall need they mentioned was for Clarkson students to be more sociable and to have places on campus where students are encouraged to stop and talk. Blake Conley made it clear that Clarkson students are less interactive than students on other campuses.
Some major concerns are the intersections, pathways and entrances on Clarkson's campus. The ERC-Moore parking lot creates a hazard for pedestrians, the handicap parking is inadequate, and drivers have trouble parking. They suggested moving the ERC and Moore parking lot and replacing it with green space. It will cost the most, but the benefits in safety and our campus atmosphere outweigh the costs. There will be more green space, and it will give pedestrians easier access to Snell Hall, Science Center, and the ERC no matter where they are coming from.
The second problem stated is the intersections on campus. There are limited crosswalks and not enough speed enforcement. A solution that the class proposed was adding speed humps and pedestrian crossing signs. It would be beneficial to pedestrians because it would make walking on campus safer, and Clarkson is supposed to have a walking campus.
Another main concern is pathways. There are none through the Cheel parking lot or from ERC to Rowley. An easy solution would be to add a pathway in Cheel parking lot, which would eliminate the dangers of walking through the lot. Adding a path from the ERC to Rowley would be convenient for pedestrians. Skywalks, like the Petersen Pathway, are also a good idea to add from the ERC to the Science Center and from the ERC to Rowley because it eliminates the need to walk outside in the cold weather and is attractive.
Entrances are also a problem on campus because there is limited access to the ERC, Student Administrative Services (SAS), the lab wing of the Science Center, and many other locations. The ramp to the second floor entrance is too steep and many doors are too narrow for anyone with disabilities. They recommend installing power assist doors in the Science Center and adding a ramp up to SAS. The presentations, along with more proposed solutions, are online at fourcclarkson.com. Tony Collins, among others, was very enthusiastic about the vision of Clarkson's future. Some of the ideas in the presentation may find their way into the revised Strategic Plan and onto our campus.
The first overall need they mentioned was for Clarkson students to be more sociable and to have places on campus where students are encouraged to stop and talk. Blake Conley made it clear that Clarkson students are less interactive than students on other campuses.
Some major concerns are the intersections, pathways and entrances on Clarkson's campus. The ERC-Moore parking lot creates a hazard for pedestrians, the handicap parking is inadequate, and drivers have trouble parking. They suggested moving the ERC and Moore parking lot and replacing it with green space. It will cost the most, but the benefits in safety and our campus atmosphere outweigh the costs. There will be more green space, and it will give pedestrians easier access to Snell Hall, Science Center, and the ERC no matter where they are coming from.
The second problem stated is the intersections on campus. There are limited crosswalks and not enough speed enforcement. A solution that the class proposed was adding speed humps and pedestrian crossing signs. It would be beneficial to pedestrians because it would make walking on campus safer, and Clarkson is supposed to have a walking campus.
Another main concern is pathways. There are none through the Cheel parking lot or from ERC to Rowley. An easy solution would be to add a pathway in Cheel parking lot, which would eliminate the dangers of walking through the lot. Adding a path from the ERC to Rowley would be convenient for pedestrians. Skywalks, like the Petersen Pathway, are also a good idea to add from the ERC to the Science Center and from the ERC to Rowley because it eliminates the need to walk outside in the cold weather and is attractive.
Entrances are also a problem on campus because there is limited access to the ERC, Student Administrative Services (SAS), the lab wing of the Science Center, and many other locations. The ramp to the second floor entrance is too steep and many doors are too narrow for anyone with disabilities. They recommend installing power assist doors in the Science Center and adding a ramp up to SAS. The presentations, along with more proposed solutions, are online at fourcclarkson.com. Tony Collins, among others, was very enthusiastic about the vision of Clarkson's future. Some of the ideas in the presentation may find their way into the revised Strategic Plan and onto our campus.