Kate Zydor
Staff Writer
The Accessibility Resource Center, located in Roscoe West Hall, has recently experienced staff vacancies that have caused issues in communication between itself and the College’s students and families.
“Accessibility Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, staff and guests to advance access within the campus community and to further extend both the mission of the College of New Jersey and the mission of the Division of Inclusive Excellence to persons with disabilities,” said James A. Felton III, vice president for inclusive excellence.
The support services ARC provides include testing, classroom, housing, religious, and meal accommodations.
To apply for such accommodations, students must fill out an online form describing their needs, detail any previous accommodations and upload documentation from a licensed professional validating the need in question.
“The office also sponsors the Lion Plus Program, a fee-based holistic student support program for students with documented disabilities that extends beyond legally mandated (ADA) accommodations, which are free of charge,” Felton said.
This past spring, ARC experienced unexpected staff vacancies that altered the structure of the department.
“First, there was the retirement of Meghan Sellet, former AVP for Accessibility Resources in June, followed by the resignation of Kyla McCool, former Accessibility Specialist who accepted a new position at Princeton University in August,” said Felton.
In the interim, the College has hired two temporary specialists, working alongside both Felton and Davis to manage student caseloads. Dr. Crystal Maldonado, director of equal employment opportunity and workplace compliance, has also stepped in to oversee new and existing employee accommodations.
“Obviously, the sudden departures of Sellet and McCool resulted in some bumps in the operation during this period of transition,” Felton said. “We received a little over a dozen complaints from students and families out of the 1300 students who utilize ARC’s services.”
Most of these complaints were regarding how long it took ARC staff to process academic accommodations for the semester. However, some expressed concerns about meal modifications and housing assignments.
“I think it’s important for the department to be transparent with students and ensure that they are aware of the resources that are available to them,” said freshman political science major Andrew LoMonte.
With ARC’s recent staff vacancies, necessary adjustments have been made to the office’s layout. However, its current staff has continued in their efforts to maintain and provide the resources guaranteed to all of the College’s students.
“Despite these challenges, ARC has been able to process over 1,250 requests over the course of a three-week period,” said Felton.
The staffing problem was discussed by the Board of Trustees at their most recent meeting on Oct. 17. Trustee Elanor Horne, who sits on the Inclusive Excellence Committee, reported on ARC’s recent staff vacancies.
“We talked quite a bit about the difficult job that staff in [ARC] are facing. They are now serving 1,300 students with three vacancies on that staff,” Horne told the Board. “And so if you think your jobs are very hard, think about your colleagues who are working in [ARC], and we thank them for their tremendous efforts and hope that those positions can be filled very quickly.”
Due to the recent vacancies, current staff of ARC are burdened with a tiresome workload in an attempt to manage 1,300 students. As students struggle to communicate with staff members, they may not be able to access the resources that will aid in their success at the College.
This has and will continue to impact students and staff, but also faculty members who must be made aware of any accommodations that a student requires in order to be successful.
Moving forward, miscommunication between all parties will undoubtedly impact students’ achievement and sense of comfort at the College if these positions are not filled swiftly. Although this issue impacts only a fraction of the student body, it is one that pertains to the integrity of the College and its promise of accessibility.
