After multiple student objections, the Association of Student Representatives is presenting a resolution recommending the removal of the bollards behind the Bell Athletic Center.
Sean Solis, vice president of ASR and author of the resolution, is also chair of the Traffic and Parking Committee and has introduced this resolution to his fellow committee members and presented many reasons he believes it is in the student interest to remove the bollards.
“It’s also a public safety issue because if TUPD needs to respond to something on the Thomas/Prassel side of campus, then the bollards could cut into their response time,” Solis said. “It also cuts off sophomore college from the rest of the campus community.”
Aside from the bollards’ possible interference with public safety and the campus community, students have complained about the potential inconvenience of the bollards’ placement.
“They are just really annoying. It makes it a lot more difficult to get around on campus. It might also be confusing for visitors. You have to go off campus to get back on campus, which is dumb,” said Andrew DuBois, sophomore Thomas resident. “It’s just that I don’t see them serving a purpose. Half of the time, two or three of them are missing anyways, so you can drive through; I just don’t think you’re supposed to.”
Although some students may be irritated by the bollards’ presence, John Greene, director of Facilities Services, sees them as a helpful way to maintain a low-traffic atmosphere on campus.
“It’s our goal to promote Trinity as a pedestrian-friendly campus, and we thought this was an appropriate measure toward that,” Greene said. “It not only makes the street safer for pedestrians between the football field and the Bell Center, but it has also dramatically reduced the incoming traffic on the street north and west of the football field. It does also prevent people cutting through campus to get from place to place.”
The bollards are removable in the case of emergencies in order to permit emergency vehicles. However, the physical structure keeping them in place is permanent. If ASR successfully submits the resolution and it is adopted by the Facilities Services’ staff, the bollards could be removed, but the in-ground structure would remain.
“It’s been a while since ASR has issued its opinion in this way. It’s the first time in two years that ASR has issued a resolution,” Solis said. “This is something that we hope to do more, and I think it’s supposed to be very reflective of what the student thinks, and this is a good way for us to try to live up to our mission statement and constitution of being representative of the student body.”
