Letter to the Editor
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 9
To Whom It May Concern~
I transfered this semester to Doane College seeking a institution of integrity, morale and grace.
Unfortunately, I realize that not all students at Doane feel the same.
To the student(s) who threw the trash can out onto the lake over the weekend, spewing trash all over the water and ice, I have two words for you: real classy.
If you study here you must be at least 18 years old by now, technically an adult and unfortunately you are paying an obscene amount of money to behave like a jackass.
For the minds and reassurance of everyone else studying here, please refrain from degrading the campus we are paying to upkeep.
Not to sound too much like your mom, but on the other hand, keep her in mind.
I’m sure that she would like to know that you appreciate her financial support so much.
Unfortunately, you did not have the "balls" to leave your name on your work; maybe then you could have been around to clean it up.
Do you think it is the job of the maintenance crew to clean up after you? A practical joke is one thing, but defacing property is another.
Seriously Disappointed,
Sophomore Alyssa Lindahl
Monday, May 7, 2007
Basketball Photo
Andy Dygert
Visual Editor
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 10
Freshman Elise Klosterman goes after a loose ball in a basketball game earlier this season. The women are ranked 24 in the NAIA and 7-4 on the season after dropping their last game to Concordia University on Tuesday, 65-51.
Visual Editor
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 10
Freshman Elise Klosterman goes after a loose ball in a basketball game earlier this season. The women are ranked 24 in the NAIA and 7-4 on the season after dropping their last game to Concordia University on Tuesday, 65-51.
Women looking forward after loss
Jordan Bass
Staff Writer
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 10
The Doane Tiger women’s basketball team looks to rebound from a 65-51 loss to Concordia University, as they travel to Yankton, SD Saturday to take on Mount Marty.
Doane, 7-4 and 3-2 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, will try to protect their #24 NAIA ranking against the 6-4 Lancers, who are receiving votes in that same poll.
Head women’s basketball coach Tracee Fairbanks says the Lancers will provide a tough test for her Tiger team.
“It’s really going to be a good game, we are neck and neck in the conference standings and they have beaten some good teams.” Fairbanks said. “We need to do a better job of doing the little things to beat Mount Marty.”
Doane is led in scoring this year by senior Laci Stewart with 12.9 points a game and senior Josi Gronemeyer with 11.4 points a game.
Mount Marty is led in scoring by center Jess Krull, who is averaging 12.0 points a game. Guard Tevan Wenbourne is averaging 10.5 points a game.
The Tigers and Lancers have one similar opponent in the Hastings Broncos. Doane lost to the Broncos on Nov. 20, 66-55. Mount Marty also fell to Hastings, losing 83-62 on Saturday.
One particular performance by the Lancers impressed Fairbanks.
“Mount Marty beat Sioux Falls, who is a quality team, by 21 on their home court,” Fairbanks said.
Sioux Falls was ranked 21st in the preseason NAIA polls.
You can hear the play by play action on 91.9 FM or listen online at http://webcast.doane.edu/listen.asp.
Staff Writer
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 10
The Doane Tiger women’s basketball team looks to rebound from a 65-51 loss to Concordia University, as they travel to Yankton, SD Saturday to take on Mount Marty.
Doane, 7-4 and 3-2 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, will try to protect their #24 NAIA ranking against the 6-4 Lancers, who are receiving votes in that same poll.
Head women’s basketball coach Tracee Fairbanks says the Lancers will provide a tough test for her Tiger team.
“It’s really going to be a good game, we are neck and neck in the conference standings and they have beaten some good teams.” Fairbanks said. “We need to do a better job of doing the little things to beat Mount Marty.”
Doane is led in scoring this year by senior Laci Stewart with 12.9 points a game and senior Josi Gronemeyer with 11.4 points a game.
Mount Marty is led in scoring by center Jess Krull, who is averaging 12.0 points a game. Guard Tevan Wenbourne is averaging 10.5 points a game.
The Tigers and Lancers have one similar opponent in the Hastings Broncos. Doane lost to the Broncos on Nov. 20, 66-55. Mount Marty also fell to Hastings, losing 83-62 on Saturday.
One particular performance by the Lancers impressed Fairbanks.
“Mount Marty beat Sioux Falls, who is a quality team, by 21 on their home court,” Fairbanks said.
Sioux Falls was ranked 21st in the preseason NAIA polls.
You can hear the play by play action on 91.9 FM or listen online at http://webcast.doane.edu/listen.asp.
11 Tigers take first
Jordan Bass
Sports Editor
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 11
The Tiger men's and women's track teams both placed a bevy of athletes at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Open on Saturday.
Turning in first place finishes for the women's team was Gail Klitz in the 400 meter dash, Katie Jasa in the high jump, Meagan Bauer in the pole vault, and Kayla Pietzyk in the triple jump.
"We're trying a lot of kids in a lot of different events," head track coach Ed Fye said. "When we have kids in their strengths they have performed well."
Tiffany Roemmich placed second in the 200 meter dash while Tiffany Hopkins and Rebecca Welsch placed second and third in the triple jump to give the Tiger women the medal sweep in that event.
On the men's side, Joel Bacon took first place in the 400 meter dash while Robin Witte captured first in the 2 mile. Greg Torres claimed first in the 600 yard run and Michael Railsback also snatched first in the 55 meter hurdles. The Tiger 4 x 4 relay team also brought home first place along with Blake Lambert in the long jump and Will Moman in the weight throw.
"We have a lot of kids running really well," Fye said. "We try to peak in three weeks when it's time for (the) conference (tournament) and nationals."
Railsback also led a two through five sweep for the Tiger men in the 200 meter dash as he was followed by Kedrick Kelley, Jess Wimmer, and Joe Richardson. The men also swept the one through four positions in the two mile. Witte was followed by Danny McClenahan, Jared Hansmeyer, and Josh Peavy.
Matt Hollman took second in the 800 meters and David Walden also took home second in the high jump. In the men's triple jump Tom Martin took home second while Derek Deyle captured second in the shotput and third in the weight throw.
Fye said his team is focused solely on the conference championships.
"I think we will know more about our national goals after the conference meet," Fye said.
The Tigers are back on the track Saturday for the Fred Beile Classic in Fuhrer Field House.
Sports Editor
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 11
The Tiger men's and women's track teams both placed a bevy of athletes at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Open on Saturday.
Turning in first place finishes for the women's team was Gail Klitz in the 400 meter dash, Katie Jasa in the high jump, Meagan Bauer in the pole vault, and Kayla Pietzyk in the triple jump.
"We're trying a lot of kids in a lot of different events," head track coach Ed Fye said. "When we have kids in their strengths they have performed well."
Tiffany Roemmich placed second in the 200 meter dash while Tiffany Hopkins and Rebecca Welsch placed second and third in the triple jump to give the Tiger women the medal sweep in that event.
On the men's side, Joel Bacon took first place in the 400 meter dash while Robin Witte captured first in the 2 mile. Greg Torres claimed first in the 600 yard run and Michael Railsback also snatched first in the 55 meter hurdles. The Tiger 4 x 4 relay team also brought home first place along with Blake Lambert in the long jump and Will Moman in the weight throw.
"We have a lot of kids running really well," Fye said. "We try to peak in three weeks when it's time for (the) conference (tournament) and nationals."
Railsback also led a two through five sweep for the Tiger men in the 200 meter dash as he was followed by Kedrick Kelley, Jess Wimmer, and Joe Richardson. The men also swept the one through four positions in the two mile. Witte was followed by Danny McClenahan, Jared Hansmeyer, and Josh Peavy.
Matt Hollman took second in the 800 meters and David Walden also took home second in the high jump. In the men's triple jump Tom Martin took home second while Derek Deyle captured second in the shotput and third in the weight throw.
Fye said his team is focused solely on the conference championships.
"I think we will know more about our national goals after the conference meet," Fye said.
The Tigers are back on the track Saturday for the Fred Beile Classic in Fuhrer Field House.
Young outlines the legal consequences of a DUI in Crete
Melanie Anderson
Staff Writer
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 12
Doane's gathering policy may be the hot topic on campus concerning alcohol, but driving under the influence in Crete is not up for discussion.
Students thinking of taking their drinking parties on the road should be aware of the consequences that await them at the Crete Police Department.
Lt. Gary Young of the Crete Police explained what he and other officers are looking for on the roads.
"We are out on every road here in Crete, gravel roads, major roads, side streets, everywhere,” Young said. “Usually it's a traffic infraction like running lights or swerving in the road that draws our attention, then we are looking for bloodshot eyes, the smell of booze, slurred speech."
Crete's police force boasts not only a lineup of qualified officers on the roads but also has one officer who specializes in drug and alcohol impairments.
So far this year, Crete has made 100 arrests on charges of driving while impaired. That number makes up one-fifth of the total arrests made in Crete since January.
Young explained the procedure that students can expect if they are caught driving under the influence of alcohol while in Crete:
When an officer suspects that alcohol is a factor in a traffic stop, he or she will ask the driver to perform a number of field sobriety tests such as reciting the alphabet while standing on one leg.
If the driver fails the test, the next step is a breathalyzer test. Suspects are not required to submit to the tests, but they can be charged with a misdemeanor if they choose not to take the test.
The legal limit for blood alcohol content while driving is .08. Any higher number will land a driver in the back seat of a patrol car on a trip to the jail in Wilber.
Officers in Crete leave the impaired in the Wilber jail in the custody of the Wilbur sheriffs.
Once inside the Wilbur jail, the individual is forced to complete a long list of tasks.
After changing into prison orange, locking up all possessions and answering a full history questionaire administered by an officer, the individual is locked into a small, bare cell to cool off and sober up.
Eight hours, a phone call to a friend or relative, and a $250 bail later, the individual is free to go -- if it is his or her first offense and if the person is a resident of the state.
Once out of prison, the suspected drunk driver is still not out of the woods.
If convicted after a meeting with the judge, the driver could face anything from court-ordered alcohol counseling to 60 days in jail for the first offense. In either case, the driver is saddled with a record that could haunt the driver for some time.
Young said that Crete police are out looking for drunk drivers to help keep both students and citizens safe on the roads.
"Once you are behind the wheel [after drinking], you are a risk to the community of Crete,” Young said. “We encourage the designated driver program. If we see someone impared, we will try to stop them before they get into a car and try to find a ride for them."
Staff Writer
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 12
Doane's gathering policy may be the hot topic on campus concerning alcohol, but driving under the influence in Crete is not up for discussion.
Students thinking of taking their drinking parties on the road should be aware of the consequences that await them at the Crete Police Department.
Lt. Gary Young of the Crete Police explained what he and other officers are looking for on the roads.
"We are out on every road here in Crete, gravel roads, major roads, side streets, everywhere,” Young said. “Usually it's a traffic infraction like running lights or swerving in the road that draws our attention, then we are looking for bloodshot eyes, the smell of booze, slurred speech."
Crete's police force boasts not only a lineup of qualified officers on the roads but also has one officer who specializes in drug and alcohol impairments.
So far this year, Crete has made 100 arrests on charges of driving while impaired. That number makes up one-fifth of the total arrests made in Crete since January.
Young explained the procedure that students can expect if they are caught driving under the influence of alcohol while in Crete:
When an officer suspects that alcohol is a factor in a traffic stop, he or she will ask the driver to perform a number of field sobriety tests such as reciting the alphabet while standing on one leg.
If the driver fails the test, the next step is a breathalyzer test. Suspects are not required to submit to the tests, but they can be charged with a misdemeanor if they choose not to take the test.
The legal limit for blood alcohol content while driving is .08. Any higher number will land a driver in the back seat of a patrol car on a trip to the jail in Wilber.
Officers in Crete leave the impaired in the Wilber jail in the custody of the Wilbur sheriffs.
Once inside the Wilbur jail, the individual is forced to complete a long list of tasks.
After changing into prison orange, locking up all possessions and answering a full history questionaire administered by an officer, the individual is locked into a small, bare cell to cool off and sober up.
Eight hours, a phone call to a friend or relative, and a $250 bail later, the individual is free to go -- if it is his or her first offense and if the person is a resident of the state.
Once out of prison, the suspected drunk driver is still not out of the woods.
If convicted after a meeting with the judge, the driver could face anything from court-ordered alcohol counseling to 60 days in jail for the first offense. In either case, the driver is saddled with a record that could haunt the driver for some time.
Young said that Crete police are out looking for drunk drivers to help keep both students and citizens safe on the roads.
"Once you are behind the wheel [after drinking], you are a risk to the community of Crete,” Young said. “We encourage the designated driver program. If we see someone impared, we will try to stop them before they get into a car and try to find a ride for them."
Haller’s zeal for literature goes beyond the classroom
Jessica Votipka
Staff Writer
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 12
English professor Evelyn Haller speaks quietly, carefully and with precision. Her experiences influence both her conversations and her teaching.
While Haller, chairwoman of the English department, is well-known for her classroom lessons, few realize how much she brings to Doane from outside the classroom. Haller's academic life often melds with her recreational time.
"I arrange my summers around conferences," Haller said. "There's an annual Virginia Woolf conference toward the end of June. The Ezra Pound Conference is every other year; I'm giving a paper on Ezra Pound's translation of a tragedy by Sophocles. That conference is going be in Italy."
This will not be Haller's first trip to Italy.
"Ezra Pound got me to Italy in the first place, with a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar for College Teachers in 1993,” Haller said. “I liked Italy so much I've taken every opportunity to go back."
In July of 2003, Haller was the chairwoman of the "Pound in the Thirties and Forties" session of the 20th International Ezra Pound Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.
At the same conference, Haller gave a presentation entitled "The Centaur Leaping: Pound and Dance."
Haller said she enjoys traveling and interacting with others who share her interests and colleagues have noticed.
"She seems to thrive on that (travelling)," director of Student Support Services Sherri Hanigan said.
Students have also observed Haller’s passions in the classroom. Haller incorporates her own favorites with the interests of her students.
"That's very important to me; I'm profoundly attached to the work of Ezra Pound and Virginia Woolf and, to a lesser extent, Willa Cather,” Haller said. “So I try to share with students what I know and what I find out each summer.”
Often, Haller’s summer materials come in handy in the classroom.
“Sometimes the textbooks are helpful, sometimes I have to supplement them.
“I try to share with students what drew me into the profession and what keeps me there happily."
Students agree that Haller accomodates to her students’ own passions and needs.
"She goes with the class rather than having the class set before it starts," junior Brian Brimm said. "She was what I always envisioned for what a college professor should be like."
Staff Writer
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 12
English professor Evelyn Haller speaks quietly, carefully and with precision. Her experiences influence both her conversations and her teaching.
While Haller, chairwoman of the English department, is well-known for her classroom lessons, few realize how much she brings to Doane from outside the classroom. Haller's academic life often melds with her recreational time.
"I arrange my summers around conferences," Haller said. "There's an annual Virginia Woolf conference toward the end of June. The Ezra Pound Conference is every other year; I'm giving a paper on Ezra Pound's translation of a tragedy by Sophocles. That conference is going be in Italy."
This will not be Haller's first trip to Italy.
"Ezra Pound got me to Italy in the first place, with a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar for College Teachers in 1993,” Haller said. “I liked Italy so much I've taken every opportunity to go back."
In July of 2003, Haller was the chairwoman of the "Pound in the Thirties and Forties" session of the 20th International Ezra Pound Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.
At the same conference, Haller gave a presentation entitled "The Centaur Leaping: Pound and Dance."
Haller said she enjoys traveling and interacting with others who share her interests and colleagues have noticed.
"She seems to thrive on that (travelling)," director of Student Support Services Sherri Hanigan said.
Students have also observed Haller’s passions in the classroom. Haller incorporates her own favorites with the interests of her students.
"That's very important to me; I'm profoundly attached to the work of Ezra Pound and Virginia Woolf and, to a lesser extent, Willa Cather,” Haller said. “So I try to share with students what I know and what I find out each summer.”
Often, Haller’s summer materials come in handy in the classroom.
“Sometimes the textbooks are helpful, sometimes I have to supplement them.
“I try to share with students what drew me into the profession and what keeps me there happily."
Students agree that Haller accomodates to her students’ own passions and needs.
"She goes with the class rather than having the class set before it starts," junior Brian Brimm said. "She was what I always envisioned for what a college professor should be like."
Campus not so easily accessible
Melanie Anderson
Staff Writer
Dec. 2, 2004, Page 1
Picture your busiest day here at Doane. Now, take away your legs. How well would you do? Not sure? Neither was I, so I did exactly that- I took my legs right out from underneath me for 12 hours on my busiest day. What I discovered was not only an eye-opening experience, but also a frustrating, humbling and physically exhausting day. A day that left me thankful that I don’t have to spend every day at Doane in a wheelchair, because I don’t think I could do it.
I began my day at eight in the morning. I picked up a wheelchair in Nurse Kelly Jirovec’s office. According to the Jirovec, only one student on campus is currently wheelchair bound and that student has a motorized chair and a full time assistant.
I ran into my first difficulty when I tried to leave the building. There weren’t any buttons to open the doors. Looking around, I asked a person standing nearby to open the door and I was on the way.
My first class was in the Communications Building, on the bottom floor. I wheeled my way towards the one door into the building that isn’t either preceded or followed by a series of steps. I pressed the button to open the door near Heckman Auditorium and wheeled my way into a small hallway with a locked door. A service elevator sits behind that locked door, a service elevator that I only found out about by asking dozens of questions before my experiment.
In order to access the elevator, I had to ask a stranger in the hall to run down to the library and send someone up on the elevator to open the doors. The elevator is run by a key that only a few people have. The elevator is approximately four by five feet. My wheelchair wouldn’t fit going straight in, but turning it made it exceedingly difficult to get back out of it when the doors reopened on the bottom level in the library’s office.
My first class was in a lecture hall. I didn’t have any trouble getting into the class, but I had to remain in the very top row, unable to descend farther into the room because the only access is a set of stairs lining both sides of the room. So I simply plopped a book onto my lap and took my test on it. It was uncomfortable, but doable.
My next class was in Gaylord hall. I wheeled my way across campus on the sidewalks. I never fully appreciated the number of sloping hills between the two halls until that day. After almost ending up swimming with the swans, I finally learned how to control the chair going downhill. Going uphill was another story. If it wasn’t for the thoughtfulness of my fellow students, I never would have made it up several of the hills. Not only did I lack the upper arm strength to propel myself upward, but when I tried I almost tipped over backwards.
Gaylord Hall has a handicap accessible entrance. It is on the back of the building. In front of the door is a handicap parking space. A car was parked in that slot. I couldn’t get by it to get to the door. Other students had to help me get around it by tipping my chair up over the curb.
My next class was back in the Communications building and I made it back only by the good nature of some of my fellow students, especially Ebony Lawrence who gave me a much needed push when I was almost sure I was ready to give up and roll backwards down a hill and right into a tree. My Shakespeare class was in the same lecture hall as my earlier class. I prepared myself for another session of sitting too far away from the twelve students below me to hear the teacher’s voice, but I needn’t have done so; Robert Montgomery was in that class and didn’t feel it was fair for me to sit all that far away, so he came and picked me up and carried me down to a closer seat. This chivalrous and humorous, act left me smiling for quite some time.
By the end of the day I was completely exhausted. I barely made it back up the ramp to the Perry Campus Center at 9:00PM following my last class to turn the chair back in. It was so tempting about halfway across the Communications parking lot to just stand up and push, but I did stick it out to the very end.
There are several laws that are in place to protect individuals from discrimination because of physical ability. The Americans with Disabilities Act “prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications,” according to the ADA’s official website, www.ada.gov.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, goes beyond that to ensure that all schools that receive federal funds make it possible for every student to learn. Information on that law can be found at www.ed.gov.
The Architectural Barriers Act requires that new buildings must meet federal standards for accessibility, which Doane has done in its newer buildings and renovations like Whitcomb and Hansen. For more information on this act, contact the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.
A few days after my experience I paid a visit to Doane’s vice president of finance, Pappy Khouri, to discuss the difficulties I encountered. After describing my experience to him and outlining the difficulties I had, Khouri went through the problems one at a time with me to explain what the college could or would be willing to do if a student was actually placed in the position I put myself in.
“We are prepared to accommodate students in that situation,” Khouri said. He went on to explain that because we are a small school, we are capable of rearranging schedules of classes to make things easier for students. For example, if a student had a class in the art building, the entire class could be moved into a different building.
There are solutions to the more difficult problems, like the situation in the Communications Building, in the works. Khouri explained that there is a five-year plan for the Communications Building in which a new elevator will be installed in the education workroom and which will go all the way up to the third floor.
Khouri went on to say that the art building situation could be remedied in as soon as two years if the funding comes through on the new education and art building. The college has almost reached the halfway mark on its funding goal for that building. After the new building is constructed the current plan is to raze the old art building.
Smaller issues, like the sidewalk entrances and soap dispensers were acknowledged by Khouri, and he assured me that he will look at it and that they will change it if they find the current situation lacking.
If any student on campus has a problem with access, Khouri is the one to go to. “I’d be the one to ultimately help,” Khouri said.
It isn’t only those in wheelchairs that find Doane to be difficult. Students like Amanda Brakhage, who wound up on crutches after a soccer injury, find the campus to be problematic as well.
“Getting around on crutches was very difficult,” Brakhage said, “Especially living in Sheldon with no elevator. Stairs were very difficult and somewhat dangerous but I really didn’t have a choice. The hills on campus were also very fun, those were always a joy going up while carrying my books. For the most part people were more than willing to help me out, as far as carrying my tray for meals & opening doors.”
It was the spirit of the people at Doane who made it all bearable for Brakhage.
“It was amazing to have complete strangers offer to help me out or just give me words of encouragement throughout the whole time,” Brakhage said.
There are people other than students that could have problems with the handicap accessibility at Doane. Some students have parents who visit and have trouble getting up to their child’s dorm rooms. Khouri said that this really couldn’t be helped right now, although he regrets that it is the way it is.
Staff Writer
Dec. 2, 2004, Page 1
Picture your busiest day here at Doane. Now, take away your legs. How well would you do? Not sure? Neither was I, so I did exactly that- I took my legs right out from underneath me for 12 hours on my busiest day. What I discovered was not only an eye-opening experience, but also a frustrating, humbling and physically exhausting day. A day that left me thankful that I don’t have to spend every day at Doane in a wheelchair, because I don’t think I could do it.
I began my day at eight in the morning. I picked up a wheelchair in Nurse Kelly Jirovec’s office. According to the Jirovec, only one student on campus is currently wheelchair bound and that student has a motorized chair and a full time assistant.
I ran into my first difficulty when I tried to leave the building. There weren’t any buttons to open the doors. Looking around, I asked a person standing nearby to open the door and I was on the way.
My first class was in the Communications Building, on the bottom floor. I wheeled my way towards the one door into the building that isn’t either preceded or followed by a series of steps. I pressed the button to open the door near Heckman Auditorium and wheeled my way into a small hallway with a locked door. A service elevator sits behind that locked door, a service elevator that I only found out about by asking dozens of questions before my experiment.
In order to access the elevator, I had to ask a stranger in the hall to run down to the library and send someone up on the elevator to open the doors. The elevator is run by a key that only a few people have. The elevator is approximately four by five feet. My wheelchair wouldn’t fit going straight in, but turning it made it exceedingly difficult to get back out of it when the doors reopened on the bottom level in the library’s office.
My first class was in a lecture hall. I didn’t have any trouble getting into the class, but I had to remain in the very top row, unable to descend farther into the room because the only access is a set of stairs lining both sides of the room. So I simply plopped a book onto my lap and took my test on it. It was uncomfortable, but doable.
My next class was in Gaylord hall. I wheeled my way across campus on the sidewalks. I never fully appreciated the number of sloping hills between the two halls until that day. After almost ending up swimming with the swans, I finally learned how to control the chair going downhill. Going uphill was another story. If it wasn’t for the thoughtfulness of my fellow students, I never would have made it up several of the hills. Not only did I lack the upper arm strength to propel myself upward, but when I tried I almost tipped over backwards.
Gaylord Hall has a handicap accessible entrance. It is on the back of the building. In front of the door is a handicap parking space. A car was parked in that slot. I couldn’t get by it to get to the door. Other students had to help me get around it by tipping my chair up over the curb.
My next class was back in the Communications building and I made it back only by the good nature of some of my fellow students, especially Ebony Lawrence who gave me a much needed push when I was almost sure I was ready to give up and roll backwards down a hill and right into a tree. My Shakespeare class was in the same lecture hall as my earlier class. I prepared myself for another session of sitting too far away from the twelve students below me to hear the teacher’s voice, but I needn’t have done so; Robert Montgomery was in that class and didn’t feel it was fair for me to sit all that far away, so he came and picked me up and carried me down to a closer seat. This chivalrous and humorous, act left me smiling for quite some time.
By the end of the day I was completely exhausted. I barely made it back up the ramp to the Perry Campus Center at 9:00PM following my last class to turn the chair back in. It was so tempting about halfway across the Communications parking lot to just stand up and push, but I did stick it out to the very end.
There are several laws that are in place to protect individuals from discrimination because of physical ability. The Americans with Disabilities Act “prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications,” according to the ADA’s official website, www.ada.gov.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, goes beyond that to ensure that all schools that receive federal funds make it possible for every student to learn. Information on that law can be found at www.ed.gov.
The Architectural Barriers Act requires that new buildings must meet federal standards for accessibility, which Doane has done in its newer buildings and renovations like Whitcomb and Hansen. For more information on this act, contact the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.
A few days after my experience I paid a visit to Doane’s vice president of finance, Pappy Khouri, to discuss the difficulties I encountered. After describing my experience to him and outlining the difficulties I had, Khouri went through the problems one at a time with me to explain what the college could or would be willing to do if a student was actually placed in the position I put myself in.
“We are prepared to accommodate students in that situation,” Khouri said. He went on to explain that because we are a small school, we are capable of rearranging schedules of classes to make things easier for students. For example, if a student had a class in the art building, the entire class could be moved into a different building.
There are solutions to the more difficult problems, like the situation in the Communications Building, in the works. Khouri explained that there is a five-year plan for the Communications Building in which a new elevator will be installed in the education workroom and which will go all the way up to the third floor.
Khouri went on to say that the art building situation could be remedied in as soon as two years if the funding comes through on the new education and art building. The college has almost reached the halfway mark on its funding goal for that building. After the new building is constructed the current plan is to raze the old art building.
Smaller issues, like the sidewalk entrances and soap dispensers were acknowledged by Khouri, and he assured me that he will look at it and that they will change it if they find the current situation lacking.
If any student on campus has a problem with access, Khouri is the one to go to. “I’d be the one to ultimately help,” Khouri said.
It isn’t only those in wheelchairs that find Doane to be difficult. Students like Amanda Brakhage, who wound up on crutches after a soccer injury, find the campus to be problematic as well.
“Getting around on crutches was very difficult,” Brakhage said, “Especially living in Sheldon with no elevator. Stairs were very difficult and somewhat dangerous but I really didn’t have a choice. The hills on campus were also very fun, those were always a joy going up while carrying my books. For the most part people were more than willing to help me out, as far as carrying my tray for meals & opening doors.”
It was the spirit of the people at Doane who made it all bearable for Brakhage.
“It was amazing to have complete strangers offer to help me out or just give me words of encouragement throughout the whole time,” Brakhage said.
There are people other than students that could have problems with the handicap accessibility at Doane. Some students have parents who visit and have trouble getting up to their child’s dorm rooms. Khouri said that this really couldn’t be helped right now, although he regrets that it is the way it is.
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