DAILY LOBO new mexico
The walking dead see page 2
monday
November 8, 2010
UNM:
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
ONE BEFORE THE ROAD
Disability standards too pricey Campus not in tune with all accessibility regulations by Chelsea Erven cerven@unm.edu
UNM’s push to make campus fully handicapped accessible is made more difficult by insufficient funding, University officials said. Leslie Donovan, University Honors Program associate professor, relies on a power wheelchair and said she experiences campus accessibility issues every day. She said handicapped parking is a major issue. “Almost all the places on campus are nominally accessible, but often in a very difficult way,” she said. “People who use wheelchairs have a hard time parking anywhere on campus. There are simply not enough spaces. If you can’t park in a handicapped space where you can get your ramp down, you end up having to go long distances to get where you need to be.” The University formed a committee in 1994 to transition the campus to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 guidelines for accessibility. Mary Kenney, planning and campus development officer, said the committee’s legislative funding has been cut off for the past two years. “We take accessibility very seriously,” she said. “We try to make sure that we are addressing the most critical needs on campus and doing what we can with the limited resources we have.” Enacted in 1990, the ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits disability discrimination, and its guidelines serve as minimum requirements for facility handicapped access, according to the United States Access Board website. University Planning chairs the UNM Facility Access Committee and Kenney said it is charged with managing UNM’s progress toward full compliance with ADA guidelines, prioritizing unresolved accessibility issues and reviewing construction plans to ensure accessibility. The committee got funding from the state Legislature to spend on addressing ADA requirements, but in the last two years funding has decreased, and the committee relies on personal sponsors, Kenney said. “As we assess particular areas of campus that have critical needs, the committee then has to approach UNM leadership,” she said. “We make recommendations as to what needs to be done and how can we find funding.” Committee member Mark Manzutto said the committee worked to make classrooms and lecture halls
see Accessibility page 5
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 115
issue 54
Junfu Han / Daily Lobo UNM defensive end Jaymar Latchison celebrates with teammates and fans at University Stadium. The Lobos defeated Wyoming 34-31 on Saturday for UNM’s first win of the season.
E-waste removed the responsible way by Sofia Sanchez sanchez@unm.edu
UNM gave community members a chance to recycle electronic waste for free this weekend at the Annual Ewaste Recycling event. UNM Resource Conservation Manager Linda McCormick said electronics become obsolete quickly, and getting rid of e-waste responsibly is essential. “We are here to help with UNM’s sustainability efforts, so e-waste can be responsibly disposed,” she said. ”People will recycle and do the right thing if you make it easy for them and convenient, and since this is free with very few exceptions, it’s easy. We bring the recycling to them.” E-waste is the fastest-growing type of waste in municipal areas, and it grows about 3 to 5 percent every year, according to the Enchantment Electronic Recycling website. Americans are estimated to throw away 133,000 computers every day, the site said, and one cell phone can contaminate 40,000 gallons of drinking water. Student volunteer Nick Plazola said the event encourages youth to get involved and brings awareness to recycling electronics. “This is a perfect event,” he said. “You just come. We do all the lifting for you, and you are gone. It’s as simple as that. We need young people to take the initiative to do these things and give back to their community.” Event volunteers accepted TVs, computer monitors, laptops and printers among other electronics. They sent them sent to places like Albuquerque Recycling Inc., where they were broken down to their commodity levels and recycled. Janet Estepp, president of Albuquerque Recycling Inc., said city businesses need to get involved with the recycling program. “We are trying to keep e-waste out of landfills,” she said. “We are encouraging businesses to do work-place recycling events, when employees come in with their ewaste we will be there to pick it up.”
Stephanie Gonzales / Daily Lobo Jesus Ramirez, left, and Andres Lopez load old TVs and stereos to be recycled in A lot on Saturday. The student group Net Impact is collecting electronic waste for recycling.
ALBUQUERQUE RECYCLING, INC. (505) 990-3732
ENCHANTMENT ELECTRONIC RECYCLING (505) 232-9483
So far, so good
Oakland protests
See page 9
See page 7
TODAY
68 |42