Ascher proposes railing removal due to safety, aesthetic concerns

In response to a public outcry by students and faculty, USG president David Ascher '99 will officially submit a resolution today to the U-Council urging the University "to remove all of the banisters on the Blair Arch steps as soon as possible."

In addition to the resolution, Ascher will present a video showing skateboarders and rollerbladers attempting to slide down the stairs using the railings for support, potentially making the steps more dangerous than before the safety railings were added, he said.

The U-Council will discuss the resolution, decide whether to support it and suggest to President Shapiro that the handrails be removed.

Liability

Laurel Harvey, director of the University's Office of Risk Management, has been a key proponent of the railings. "I don't support the passage of (the resolution). We believe it was the right thing to do to put the handrails up."

Ascher said the railings may do more harm than good. "The University sought to decrease their liability through the railings, but they may have increased it," Ascher said. "The end result is an archway that is less safe for everyone."

"The building specs require railings to be smooth, but then you've got these guys trying to luge down them. What are you going to do?" asked Jim Consolloy, Grounds Manager in the Office of Grounds and Building Maintenance, who said that the railings were added in response to "many lawsuits."

Harvey said the University would not necessarily be held liable for injuries to anyone who might misuse the railings. "I don't believe there's significant exposure for liability. . . . Whenever proctors see skateboarders on campus, they tell them to cease and desist."

"We are a target for litigation," she said. "What is important is keeping the University safe and making sure the resources of the University are used wisely."

"I appreciate what the students are doing, but I believe the steps are safer with the railings. Finding the ideal solution is a balancing act between safety issues and appearance," Harvey said.

"It's harder and more complex than just a resolution to take down the railings," she added.

In addition to an increase in activities the resolution describes as "dangerous" around the railings – rollerblading and skateboarding –there is also concern about the aesthetic impact to Blair Arch.

"The flyers on the railings make it look really bad," Ascher said. "It's become a hangout spot because the banister's there."

Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

On Sunday morning, he noted, the steps were littered with pizza boxes and aluminum cans.

Vice President for Finance and Administration Dick Spies GS '72 explained that the rails were not necessarily the final solution. "We are looking at it to see if there is a better way to do it, but I have to be guided by the safety people and protect the University," he said.

"I'd like to think we could do better in respect to the railings," Spies said. "I am resigned to the fact that we're probably going to have to have railings, but I think we can do it a little better."