“Humor can bring people under the tent.” ~ Ted Danson
This week, the construction of a large tent on the campus of Shippensburg University was very much a joke.
On the morning of May 2, members of the facilities crew built a large tent in the parking lot between Stewart Hall and Rowland Hall. Around 10:45 a.m., a pile of metal bars was strewn across the lot. By 1:30, the tent was fully upright and filled a decent portion of that parking lot.
Feels straightforward, right? Well, not quite.
You see, the portion of the lot that was blocked off by the tent included four handicapped parking spaces. The support beams are placed directly in these spots, so no one who needs accessible parking could have access to it in this lot.
A tent in the V-1 parking lot of Shippensburg University blocks multiple handicapped spots.
The decision to implement the tent without prior notification to the campus community is an insult to anyone who uses those accessible parking spaces, including prospective students and families, who park in the V-1 lot for campus tours.
Its legality is also highly questionable, as the Title 75 statute of the PA General Assembly specifies that “a person may not obstruct a space on public or private property reserved for a person with a disability.” To me, this decision is a blatant violation of that statute.
Shippensburg University has the right to close a road or a parking lot whenever it pleases, but the issue here is the painfully clear lack of proactive communication. An email was eventually sent at 4:39 p.m. on May 2 after multiple students reached out to the administration, including newly sworn-in SGA President Lillian Sellers, who discussed the tent during the public meeting that afternoon.
Why couldn't an email have been sent the day before the tent was built? Students, especially those who rely on V-1 for parking, could have been made aware, and an incredibly tone-deaf move could have been avoided. It feels very likely that this email never would have been sent if students had not voiced their concerns.
The tent was constructed for the dedication ceremony of the recently built archway outside of Rowland Hall, which is being held on May 3 at 3 p.m. immediately following the Council of Trustees meeting. This was described in the email simply as “an event.” Why not invite the student body to celebrate with alumni?
This situation feels like a massive error that could have been avoided with a bit of transparency.
We are very close, but the semester is not over yet. We still deserve adequate communication.
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