Linda Reigie, civil rights specialist with the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania, demonstrates the additional space needed for a wheelchair user to comfortably exit a specially equipped van. SGA plans elections and Open House with Provost by Mary Angelo Contributor Janet Widoff, the advisor to the Student Government Association (SGA) announced plans for redoing the Student Leader handbook at the March 14 meeting. Part of the changes will be with the officer posi tions themselves. If they are elected to the SGA as a junior, but choose not to run again for reelection, they will remain on as a junior repre sentative to the SGA until the following September. "This will make for a wider voice of students around the table," said Widoff. Mary Lou Martz, of Health Services, told the SGA of "Wellness Awareness Day" to be held on Wednesday, March 20. There will be health risk appraisals, yoga and shi atsu demonstrations, along with aerobics and fitness equipment demos in the CUB. Free healthy snacks will also be made available. All of this was done by a request of SGA to heighten students awareness of their own health and programs avail able at their campus. Open House with the Provost will be held on Thursday, April 4 at 12:15 pm in the Gallery Lounge. Danielle C. Hollister & Tina Shearer Manager Tina Shearer Layout & Design Danielle C. Hollister & Tina Shearer Copy-Editor Christine Brooks Staff Rei o-editors Advertisin orters Christine Brooks Duane Brooks Jody Jacobs Brian Laßonte Ann E. Mease Kelley Thomas Miriam Turpack The Capital limes is published by the students of Penn State Harrisburg. You may reach The Capital Times at Penn State Harrisburg, Olmsted Building, W-341, 777 W. Harrisburg( Pike, Middletown, PA 17057 or by calling 948-6440, or by fax @ 948-6008, or via E-Mail captimesOpsu.edu. All materials - articles, photos & artwork - are property of The Capital, Times. No parts of this paper may be reproduced without permission. Concerns reg_arcling the content of any issue should be directed to the editor. - Opinions expressed are those of the author and are not representative of the college, administration faculty or the stu dent body. The Capital Times welcomes signed letters from readers. No unsigned submissions will be pnrified; however a writer's name may be withheld by request. The Capital Times does not endorse its advertisers. The Awards Ceremony for all clubs and organizations will be held on April 19 at 7pm in the Dining Commons. The SGA is discussing different ideas for so the Volleyball Club can repay the $7O it went overbudget. It appears the Volleyball Club due to some members drop ping out and not purchasing T-shirts. "I talked to the presi dent (of the dub) and spoke of how the Volleyball Club is over budget," said Ali Pirinccioglu, senior Senator of Humanities. The club's president said that the club planned on making up that money during the Rites of Spring. SGA presi dent Duane Brooks recom- mends that they think of an alternative in case Rites of Spring gets rained out. During SGA's Open Forum, there was a sugges tion to get more athletics on campus and the SGA is in full support, hoping that this would be a way to push enrollment. Matthew Sigel, SGA treasurer, announced a "Keg Party" at his house, with only a $3 cover charge. Contact Sigel for more information. In other news, SGA elections will be held in the Olmsted Lobby on March 26, 27 and 28. Advertisin Ann E. Mease Jody Jacobs Kelley Thomas Miriam Turpack Civil rights specialist explains ADA codes violation Penn State Harrisburg evaluated on compliance with American With Disabilities Act By Jim Miller Contributor On July 26, 1990, President George Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a landmark civil rights bill that was designed to extend full protection to disabled individuals. Six years later, many institutions have made strides to comply with the terms of the act. However, there are still numerous examples of code violations that exist in almost any place one goes. Recently, seven Penn State Harrisburg students were taken on a tour of the campus by Linda Riegel, a civil rights specialist with the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania. Armed with tape measures and rulers, the students set out to find Hoops tourney draws crowd Tina Shearer Co-Editor Kyle Brady of the New York Jets and Charlie Fortney, formerly of the Harrisburg Hammerheads, warmed up together before they face-off against their opponents at the Chi Gamma lota Annual Basketball Tournament. Penn State Harrisburg hosted the two-day event in which 14 teams competed in the double elimination tour nament. Fortney said, "I'm grateful I can play basketball when there are so many people who can't run and play sports.- Games were held on Saturday, March 23 and the semi-finals, third place and final games took place on Sunday, March 24. Madd Sillz took home first place after the final game on Sunday. Second place went to Banzofs and 193rd Special Ops placed Assistant Penn State Harrisburg staff, Linda Zubler and Becky Dolan, taste various low-fat recipes at the WELLNESS AWARENESS DAY held in the CUB on Wednesday, March 21. . Free blood pressure screening, aerobics demonstration and student health insurance workshop were Just a few of the free attractions. CLEO, SGA and Campus Incentive Fund sponsored the event. Professional sports figures add excitement to weekend games NEWS potential non-compliances with the ADA. For example, at the main entrance of the Olmsted Building there is a ramp in place, which satisfies one requirement of the ADA. However, the law also calls for railings on both sides of the ramp that sit between 34 and 38 inches above the ground. A quick look at the ramp indicates that only one side has a railing, and it is attached 32 inches above the ground. Generally, the cam pus is a wheelchair-unfriendly place. Access to the auditori um is nearly impossible, unless one follows an unmarked path to the backstage area. Furthermore, the only way to get from the Olmsted Building to the sculpture garden is by "We all played real well together and got the job done," Brady said. Teams from as far away as State College turned out to compete with teams from local businesses and one team from Penn State Harrisburg. The event was a first time effort by Gordon Moon, President of Chi Gamma lota at PSH. He helped teams get sponsors, arranged for additional facilities at George W. Feaser's Middle School and elicited the sup port of 13 area businesses. Fox-Eichelberger pro vided the trophies for this year's tournament winners. Next year the tourna ment will be called the Fox- Eichelberger Basketball Tournament. The Fox- Eichelberger VFW Post 7415 has offered $l,OOO in support of the continuance of the tournament for the next ten years traveling on the road to the parking lot, a narrow street with no sidewalks. Another area where Penn State Harrisburg lacks sufficient access for disabled people is in bathroom facili ties. Despite signs indicating that the first-floor restrooms are wheelchair-accessible, the students quickly found that this is not the case. The doors, the fixtures, the stall and the toilet seat itself all fall short of the ADA standards contained on a checklist produced by the Adaptive Environments Center One area where Penn State Harrisburg has generally adhered to the requirements of the ADA is in parking places. The parking area has an ample amount of reserved parking for vehicles Candidate for Associate Dean discusses issues By Christine Brooks Staff Reporter One of the candi- dates for the new position of Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies spoke at an open forum Monday, March 11 in the Gallery Lounge. The new position at Penn State Harrisburg includes advising, teaching, program accreditation, and involvement with the new honors program. Dr. Mary A. Miller cur rently holds the position of Associate Dean of the School of Professional Studies at Metropolitan State College of Denver. The school is located on 171 acres in downtown Denver. There, she manages 12 academic departments. CAPTIMES, March 28, 1996 operated by disabled peo ple, and contains special spaces for van access However, according to the ADA, van-accessible parking places should have an eight-foot wide aisle for access to lifts. As Reigel demonstrated with her van, the five-foot clearance is not nearly sufficient should anoth er car be parked next to the Asked why these changes have taken so long to occur at PSH, Riegel informed students that changing attitudes is the biggest barrier. "Nobody's pushing them," she said. "They're sup- posed to have a self-evalua tion and implementation plan in effect." e ADA • a • 6 „woe i j - .... ~,. .:' She supervises the Faculty Professional Development Program, oversees the bud get preparation, and helps with student petitions and problems. "As obnoxious as some people find politics," Miller said in her opening statement, "I like it." Miller claims she likes to bring about change. Faculty and staff posed questions on how Miller would handle educa tion and other situations at PSH. "I am persistent in my effort to get things done," Miller said. "I am a good lis tener, patient, and I don't give up when we're not get ting along." I believe in moving See asso • rovost 6
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