After some time of gathering information about making the Holmes Student Center more accessible to handicapped students, it is great to see that the plans are in the works and awaiting funding.

Hopefully, time spent seeking funds from the state in order to begin constucting ramps for handicapped students and a vertical lift will just be a formality and the project will be successful.

Those involved in planning the renovations seem to have taken the time to make sure that the plans are well accepted by handicapped students. Previous discussions included talk of stair lifts that could be placed along certain stairways and would carry a wheel chair or a visually impaired person up or down the flight of stairs. One such stair lift is located in the student center bookstore.

However, some handicapped students do not feel safe on stair lifts because the lift can seem unstable and at times break down in the middle of the stair way. It is reassuring that those involved recognized this problem and found ways to construct ramps and install a “mini elevator” instead.

The student center belongs to handicapped students just as much as it belongs to the rest of us. Improvements needed for handicapped students to be able to fully use the services found in the student center should be supported completely. It is nice to see people working toward improving conditions for handicapped students and getting something accomplished.