A Message from the President
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Dear ESF Community,
A major priority of the College in the coming year will be to further address
issues of accessibility, equity, and inclusion. This comprises several areas of
concern, including increased compliance with the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA), better access to all our facilities for members of our community and
visitors-both here on the main campus and at our regional properties-and
enhanced spaces that exemplify equality for all people. Equitable access to
restrooms is one of the most important components of an elevated focus on
accessibility.
Last academic year I directed our Physical Plant and Facilities unit to
accelerate their activity to address the current inequitable situation in
regard to the disproportionate availability of restrooms for women, and to
provide more gender-inclusive options. Academic Governance, our Leadership
Council, student governance groups, and others identified this very important
need as well. Please see the memo below on this issue from Rex Giardine, our
associate facilities program coordinator, and please recognize the changes
being proposed are only our first step toward a much more comprehensive and
College-wide solution.
I encourage you to share your thoughts on this proposal with Rex.
My Regards, Quentin Wheeler
TO: ESF Community
FROM: Rex
Giardine, Associate Facilities Program Coordinator
DATE:
August 8, 2017
RE:
Campus - Toilet Room Change Initiatives
Consistent with ESF's commitment to diversity and to better accommodate our
campus' demographics, several changes to existing toilet room designations
are proposed. We recognize that the changes noted below do not completely
address this issue either here on our main campus or at our regional
properties. This is only the first phase of improvements; additional
changes will follow this phase. The changes proposed, for implementation in
the coming weeks, include the following:
Gateway
Building
The men's and women's
single-occupant toilet rooms on Floor 2 (near the elevator) will both be
designated as gender-inclusive.
Illick
Hall
Illick was constructed in the late 1960's with the higher
number of men's toilet facilities reflective of the disproportionate number
of men on campus at that time. As a measure to begin to create a balance
indicative of the current ESF main campus demographic, the following
changes are proposed in Illick Hall:
The existing men's rooms on Floors 1 and 4 will be designated
as women's rooms. The existing women's room on Floor 4 will be designated
as a single occupant, gender-inclusive restroom. This room has a lockable
door
Feedback concerning the proposed changes will be accepted
through August 16. It is our goal to implement accepted changes Monday,
August 21, 2017.
Temporary informative signage will be installed at each restroom
approximately one week ahead of the change, and maintained until occupants
and visitors to the building become accustomed to these new
designations.
A directive by President Wheeler, recommendations for bathroom equity
outlined in a recent Academic Governance resolution, and requests made by
both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as other faculty and
staff members, are the major catalysts for these changes. There are
additional measures in design to create ADA-compliant, single-occupant,
gender-inclusive toilet rooms in both Illick Hall and Moon Library, with
construction anticipated to take place during the 2017-2018 academic year.
Again, this is only one step in a larger effort that will address this
important issue throughout all ESF properties.
Questions and comments regarding these initiatives should be directed to
Rex Giardine in Physical Plant and Facilities at rgiardin@esf.edu or
315-470-6731.
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