The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) identifies facility requirements to meet the needs of persons with disabilities. This University has a very strong history of support for persons with disabilities, and that is reflected in many of the campus facilities. One example is the new Tim Nugent residence hall with the Beckwith program in Ikenberry Commons.
The Champaign-Urbana Urbanized Area Transportation Study (CUUATS) was commissioned by the Campus Area Transportation Study (CATS) to produce University District Crosswalk Design Guidelines. These guidelines were established to create a unified look for the University District crosswalks, regardless of the jurisdictional authority in charge of the specific roadways. After implementing a consistent and clear standard for crosswalks, the CATS agencies were pleased to see a dramatic increase in compliance with crosswalk laws,
Installation and maintenance of bus stops within the CUMTD jurisdictional boundaries are controlled by the MTD. However, any bus stop on campus also gets the approval of the Architecture Review Committee. Campus has facility standards that must be met, so F&S works with MTD to implement bus stop improvements. In recent years, MTD and the UI have cooperated to provide power, internet, security cameras, benches, trash receptacles, new shelters, and StopWATCH kiosks to bus stops.
The goal of the new Master Plan is to provide safe and accessible parking for the whole campus community – and since you’re part of that community, the changes will directly and indirectly benefit you! The comprehensive planning process will include these steps:
Needs assessment, including use of existing parking spaces and campus-wide demand for parking
Parking alternatives analysis for the replacement of central campus garages C7 and C10
Many encouragement programs for cycling address the needs of cyclists who choose to commute via bicycle. In some cases, the cyclist arrives on campus feeling sweaty and would like to freshen up before beginning the work or school day. To this end, it is convenient if showers are provided for bicycle riders to use on campus. The Business Instructional Facility (BIF) and Lincoln Hall have bicyclist showers for the staff and approved users. This option should be provided to other campus cyclists, to help encourage more bike riding.
In 2010, an informal survey was distributed online for campus users to complete. This survey was focused primarily on getting the campus' opinion about where new and improved bike parking was most needed. The information collected helped define the priorities for improved bike parking as funding becomes available. This survey also contained some simple questions about various other bicycle related topics, such as bike sharing, shower facilities, and registration systems.
In 2011, the Student Sustainability Committee funded a Bike Sharing Feasibility Study, in order to assess whether a bicycle sharing program would be feasible and desirable on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Campus.
The Student Sustainability Committee has organized and funded a pilot project in which students conduct energy assessments of campus buildings for the purposes of weatherization. Teams from student organizations conduct the assessments, and receive payment for their work. This semester, five organizations are participating. F&S has contributed support and funds to the actual weatherization of the building. Small campus buildings, including the cultural houses, selected on the basis of energy usage, are assessed.
The course inventory exercise enabled us to identify gaps in sustainability course offerings. Primary gaps in course offerings are in the humanities and social sciences. To aide in filling those gaps, the Office of Sustainability, now the Center for a Sustainable Environment, offers a teaching sustainability workshop each spring. The workshop provides an opportunity for teachers (faculty and TAs) to learn methods for integrating sustainability into their courses. A small stipend is available to those who complete the assignments.
In FY12, the Student Sustainability Committee approved $225,000 to upgrade a number of bike parking locations on campus. Facilities & Services is completing the work to upgrade these locations by the end of Summer 2013.
