The Presidential Citizen Scholars (PCS) Program prepares students to be community leaders through civic scholarship and community action. Students who have chosen to become PCSs meet with members of the community to identify and research specific issues both groups are passionate about. After researching the chosen issue the community is facing, students work on a PCS Capstone Project. PACE supports these students’ projects with funding, connections and other resources. This elite program builds on SU’s highest purpose by offering students of all majors and disciplines the opportunity to engage in the life of the community, develop habits of democratic citizenship and become experienced civic leaders.
Each year, there are 15 students chosen to be involved with PCS. This year, they are working on three PCS projects, all of which will make a major contribution to the Salisbury community. Ryan Weaver, a faculty member and lecturer of PACE, instructs the PCS class. He encourages and offers support to the students and their projects.
One PCS project that is currently in progress involves downtown Salisbury. Salisbury University students Elizabeth Wash, Hayden Davis and River Myer are working to have an accessible public restroom put in downtown Salisbury. Not many people are aware of this issue, but there are plenty of people who are affected by it. The three PCSs created an anonymous survey asking about people’s experiences without an accessible restroom downtown. After IRB approval, the survey was hand distributed to people, featured on social media and posted all across campus, including dorm rooms and other buildings, as well as the downtown Salisbury area. The students put out this survey to gather information from the community.
One person who completed the survey stated: “I prefer to give my support to areas that are inclusive. Providing an ADA-accessible public restroom would improve my perception of inclusivity in the city.” Another person said, “I have young kids and a large family, it is not always the easiest to walk around downtown Salisbury and especially to not have easy access to a public restroom.” Elizabeth Wash, a junior who is pursuing a degree in biology – biomedical, has her own disability and explained the troubles she faces on her own regarding an unavailable public restroom downtown. She stated that it is “limiting people” who want to visit downtown Salisbury.
This project was awarded a grant to help boost social media posts, which will spread awareness about this issue. Not only will people with disabilities greatly benefit from this proposal but families as well.