Listening Sessions Lead to Safety, Accessibility Improvements Across A&T Campus

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Nov. 1, 2024) – Working in concert with the Student Government Association (SGA), the Office of Facilities and University Police Department have undertaken a series of campus groundskeeping, sidewalk and lighting improvements at North Carolina A&T and have a punch list of additional improvements on the immediate docket.

The improvements, which address safety, accessibility and visibility for students and others, are an outgrowth of listening sessions that Chancellor James R. Martin II convened with undergraduate, graduate and transfer students over the past two months. Martin prioritized issues raised in those sessions and charged campus leaders with identifying specific matters that needed attention and resolving those problems.

SGA officers led campus tours during which they, police officials and Facilities staff identified specific points of concern and a game plan to address each of them.

Work already completed includes improvements around 11 residence halls, the Student Center, F.D. Bluford Library, Obermeyer Parking Deck and numerous academic buildings. Actions range from clearing excessive vegetation growth and problematic tree limbs to sidewalk and parking lot repairs to a host of lighting improvements.

For a university that takes great pride in the appearance of its campus, which includes a National Historic District, the improvements go beyond aesthetics, Martin said. 

“These are more than just cosmetic fixes. Much of the work enhances the safety of our students as they move from residence hall to classroom to parking areas and ensures proper accessibility for students and others who use wheelchairs or other assistance to navigate campus,” said Martin. “While these are the latest in a series of improvements that began earlier this month, they are far from the last. Additional work is now underway at five more academic and residence halls and will be completed by the end of the year.”

Earlier this month, A&T launched service improvements that address additional concerns identified in Martin’s listening sessions. Campus shuttle service was extended to the Campus East apartment complex to improve transportation challenges identified by students. Shuttle routes and schedules were updated to accommodate the expansion.

A&T also rolled out a new parking app that helps drivers find available parking spaces in real time, locate their cars if they forget where they’ve parked and facilitate user dialogue with Parking Services to share parking concerns. The innovative app, NCAT Park, relies on crowdsourcing for up-to-the-minute information. It’s free of charge available to all campus parking users on the Apple App Store and on Google Play.

“Improving the student experience in these areas not only addresses accessibility, safety and mobility, it lowers stress for anyone who has been frustrated by challenges these issues raise,” said Martin. “That enables A&T students, faculty and staff to focus more energy on what they do best - learning, teaching, research and service.”

A breakdown of the newly completed repairs and landscape improvement and projects in progress led by SGA is posted below.