MUNCIE, Ind. – This past Wednesday, the Student Government Association (SGA) elected new members to its Senate At-Large, including Gunner Crispen, who plans to help students like himself by making Ball State more accessible.
Crispen said he grew up in Akron, Ind., where there was a lack of resources to help kids like him. He describes it as frustrating to be unable to do things for himself or others while growing up.
“Being too young and being in a very rural area, that just wasn’t very possible for me,” Crispen said.
He had already decided he wanted to join the SGA during the summer, because of his major in Law. Crispen says that once he became more active on campus, he saw what he needed to do.
“It became clear to me that it was not just something I wanted to do, but something that had to be done, so this reform could happen,” Crispen said.
In the SGA meeting, Crispen mentioned that stairs have strips called “Nosings,” reflective pieces on each step, that help visually impaired people see where each step is. Problems occur when these strips are missing or worn down.
“You’ll notice, if you look a little closer, that not all buildings have those; even some of the highly trafficked buildings don’t have them,” Crispen explained.
When asked why Ball State might not have addressed these issues, Crispen suggested it might be because they haven’t been informed. He believes the university may simply be unaware of these problems.
“Maybe some of the reasons that these things have not been implemented yet are that there has not been a student, or maybe, of course, that’s speculative, but maybe an administrative voice telling people that these things are necessary for students to be truly safe on campus,” Crispen explained.
Crispen also discussed his legislative plan, which is currently in “Phase Zero.” He said he is working on gathering everything and preparing to put it into official form, but has not reached that stage yet, hence the name. He also encourages students and others to contact him regarding accessibility issues, as this is one of the main ways to report problems on campus.
“I can’t promise that these specific things will be implemented. I can promise that if an accessibility issue is noticed by me or any of my constituents here now, it will be addressed.”
Contact Landon Jones with comments at landon.jones@bsu.edu.
