THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011
CAMPUS
PAGE 3
New payment system might contradict previous statute
JESSIE BLAKEBOROUGH
jblakeborough@kansan.com
Members of AbleHawks, a student group for students with disabilities, question the legality of the Department of Parking and Transit in regards to metered parking in the Kansan Union parking garage.
A Kansas statute (Kansas Statute 8-1, 126) which covers parking privileges for persons with disability states that "["persons with disability] shall be exempt from any parking meter fees of the state or any city, county or other political subdivision."
"The key phrase is 'parking meters,'" Rodriguez said. "The parking garage doesn't have individual metered spot. It has a blanket fee to park in the facility."
Dr. Fred Rodriguez, the Vice Provost for the Office of Diversity and Equity, defends Parking and Transit's interpretation of the Statute.
the coin-operated ticket machines with a credit/debit card payment system, students who used parking placards in accessible parking spots weren't charged. With the new payment system, people who use the accessible spaces in the garage are charged $1.25 per hour like everyone else.
Vice president of AbleHawks, Elizabeth Boresow, and other members believe this is an unfair matter of semantics and toes the line of illegality. Questions are being raised over what constitutes as metered parking. The group claims that any place that registers the time you enter and exit, and charges by the hour, follows the parking meter concept.
Untilgaragerenovationsreplaced
Steve Ramirez, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title IX coordinator and equal opportunity specialist at the University, says that students with disabilities can park in one of the 475 accessible parking spaces on campus instead of the garage. Ramirez also encourages students to use the bus system instead of parking on campus themselves.
"The intent of the law is to not charge for accessible parking," Boresow said. "If KU wanted to honor the spirit of that law, they would not charge us to use those spots."
"For someone with a physical disability, it's all about distance," Boresow said. "Why and how can you tell them to park elsewhere when the Union parking garage is closest for them?"
Rodriguez says that he wants all students to know their concerns are important, but the institution has to prioritize which needs are addressed first. In order to help with that process, an ADA Review Task Force was created last spring.
According to the University's diversity website, the purpose of the task force is to "coordinate and facilitate the ongoing, systematic process for ADA review across campus."
Rodriguez says that the task force is an essential strong support in moving toward an all-inclusive campus but that students still need to address concerns.
"I don't know all the problems, I am not directly affected although I do see people in my classrooms who have a different perspective," Rodriguez said. "Students need to let us know if the system is working for them, otherwise how can we know?"
But does that mean all concerns students bring up are addressed properly?
Georgi Li, a sophomore from Overland Park, doesn't think that the system is as effective as the administration promised. When University staff have attended AbleHawk meetings in the past, Li says they didn't even take notes and usually follow up the next day with an email asking about the problems discussed.
The University's already tumultuous parking situation is potentially confounded by handicapped parking legalities.
"I'm not one to complain a lot,
but I think this is why there is a
BEN PIROTTE/KANSAN
disconnect," Li said. "If our complaints aren't even been written down, how can they be solved?"
Although Boresow appreciates the current interactions with the administration, she is concerned about future progress continuing.
"If someone stops pushing for it, it will be forgotten about," Boresow said. "For those in the disability world, it's sad but not a surprise that we are treated this way."
Edited by Sarah Champ
HOMELESS FROM 1
being damaged," Davis said.
The shelter receives two or three calls from families a day, looking for space.
"It's really crowded and really busy. It's a grave problem for the community. We don't have enough space in this building. Families get first priority, but then we have to push out individuals." She said.
The children of families looking for shelter are victimized in these situations.
"I think they're privy to a whole lot, and they're exposed to a lot of things I wish they wouldn't be, but that's the nature of the circumstances," said Catherine Bolton, a social worker and counselor at two elementary schools in Lawrence.
She said that there have never been this many children at the shelter. Her number one goal is for students to succeed in school, which means children achieving academic success at their grade level and creating a desire in parents to keep their kids in school.
Bolton drops off menus, makes sure the kids are in the after school programs and assists the family in a welfare system that is not "user friendly." More importantly, she cultivates relationships, which is critical in establishing trust and stability.
"Stability is a huge factor in helping families and children develop a comfort level with the school," Bolton said.
For example, the Salvation Army food pantry — a vital service for many of the homeless — require a photo ID, proof of income, proof of address, social security cards for each member of the home or an income tax return. "Imagine you lost everything and now you have to work all these systems and requirements," said Bolton. "People struggling like this are in survival mode, and it's hard to think creatively about how you're going to approach life."
sition, these important documents are often lost or misplaced. Bolton and Davis help families find these vital programs, a process that involves knowing where the services are provided and what services are offered through each program.
For many families in tran-
"There are a lot of families in this situation," Bolton said. "These are families that are struggling and are at the mercy of many systems."
This vulnerability puts families on the defensive, they feel "assaulted by the system," Bolton said.
Bolton's goal is not to do the work for those she works with but to help them acquire the skills that will help them become self-sufficient.
Surrounding all of these problems are questions of dignity and the role of community. Bolton said that often times issues of the homeless run into the NIMBY attitude — not in my back yard. This attitude contributes to neglecting homeless issues in the community, treating homeless people as if they were invisible.
"There's a lot of assumptions and conceptions and misconceptions," Bolton said. "This is a diverse community that is supposedly a welcoming community but on the homeless issue, I remain perplexed. If everybody is all about what they say they are, then why is it 22 years later we don't have a good shelter. Put your money where your mouth is."
A new shelter would provide more space where more homeless individuals and families could find shelter, along with space that could offer parenting, cooking and banking classes.
"It's hard out in the world. I think the world has gotten so much harder and meaner, People seem less compassionate, because everyone's busy trying to survive," Bolton said.
GARDENING FROM 1
in March 2010 after members of the Community Mercantile approached West school officials about the idea of a school garden.
After a few weeks of planning, the garden project was underway. The garden's start-up plan, which included removing a tree and building a tool shed, cost approximately $20,000. The Community Mercantile Education Foundation footed the bill.
Colin Dietz, a sophomore from Free State High and graduate of West Middle School, is among five students employed by the Community Mercantile to help with the garden.
"It was really cool," he said. "Watching it turn from a patch of grass into a garden."
THE PAYOFF
Siebert, who helped coordinate the school garden, said the project has produced roughly 1,400 pounds of organic food this season — an increase of more than 400 pounds since last year. She anticipates the garden will produce about 2,000 pounds before this season's end.
Siebert said that school garden programs such as West Middle School's help society in a variety of wavs.
"It's building a sustainable system for where our food comes from," she said. "It opens a lot of doors to building a better connection with your community."
While some of the garden's produce is sold, much of it is also used in West's school cafeteria.
Myron Milton, West's principal said his students have responded enthusiastically to the project by offering their help and enjoying the garden's yield.
Milton said that he's seen a considerable increase in the amount of students eating from West's salad bar, which uses a variety of produce from the school garden.
"It's been fantastic," he said. "We see a lot more students choosing those healthy options of fruits and vegetables that are grown here."
with a broad selection of food, including beets, cherry tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, watermelons and many others. Seven apple and two pear trees stand adjacent to the school's garden.
The garden provides students
THE PARTNERS
Last spring, both Sunset Hill and Hillcrest elementary schools began tilling soil for 3,000 and 1,500 square foot gardens, respectively.
Within a year, the "Growing Food, Growing West" project garnered such success that two other Lawrence public schools approached the Community Mercantile for help in establishing a similar plan. The idea soon blossomed into the Community Mercantile's "Growing Food, Growing Health" school garden project.
Joan Stone, administrative assistant for Sunset Hill elementary, said that the garden was almost mature enough for the school to begin using the food in upcoming weeks. She said that she expected Sunset Hill's garden would eventually supply a salad bar for students, including fresh tomatoes, green beans, radishes and cucumbers.
In addition to providing food, the Sunset Hill garden has also acted as an educational tool for students.
"The second grade class has gone out and watched the butterflies and insects in some of their studies," she said.
Many other school garden programs like West's and Sunset Hill's are sprouting up throughout Kansas, according to Bard Depew, child nutrition consultant for the Kansas Department of Education.
THE POSSIBILITIES
"I think there's definitely a movement going on," she said "People who weren't involved in it before are learning about it and realizing that they feel the same way."
She said that the garden programs at Lawrence public schools serve as a good example for other school districts in the state.
However, it seems Kansas' schools need little guidance when it comes to using nutritious food, according to data from the Kansas Department of Education.
While some think that cultivating and using locally grown food is a passing fad, Siebert, who began gardening with her mother at a young age, said she sees the trend in Lawrence continuing into the future.
Thirty Kansas schools have been recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture in the "Healthier U.S. School Challenge." The award acknowledges schools "taking a leadership role in helping students learn to make healthy eating and active lifestyle choices," according to the United States Department of Agriculture's website.
The sale is from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St., in Lawrence.
LAWRENCE
Merchandise for the sale was donated, and money raised will directly benefit Audio-Reader and its listeners. The organization provides radios, internet streaming, and telephone reader services to listeners free of charge, and readings and recordings for these services are read by volunteers, said Janis Hutchinson, Audio-Reader development committee member.
Established in 1971 by Petey Cerf, the Audio-Reader Network is a reading and information service for people who are unable or struggle to read conventional print because of blindness or other disabilities. Cerf began reading to residents in nursing homes and realized there must be a better way for the visually impaired to get information. A few years later, she started the Audio-Reader Network.
Music lovers everywhere are invited to look through vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, and audio equipment at Audio-Reader's ninth annual "For Your Ears Only" sale, benefiting the Audio-Reader Network.
Cara Winkley
Audio-Reader can benefit from sale