image 1: Authorized Vehicles Only sign at access road entrance by Allyn Hall Parking Lot
|
I believe this sign on the left is a large part of why the woods have never felt welcoming until this semester.
Obviously, this sign is intended to keep unauthorized vehicles off of the service trail that cuts through the edge of the woods by Allyn Hall. I park by Allyn everyday. I have for the last three years. I have glanced at this sign and this road countless times. I understand it is important to the WSU maintenance staff to keep vehicles off the maintenance trail, but this sign has inadvertently kept all people- regardless of if they are in a vehicle or not- off of the trail. In a society where we are taught to follow the rules and signs are to be respected, we have been conditioned to see this sign and think "I am not authorized, I am not allowed here." This is a negative side effect of training children to follow rules and assume if you do not know about something- don't do it. This is not the fault of the University or the maintenance staff. This sign is necessary and probably has probably came in use over the years. However, it has created a problematic condition for student access to the woods. People tend to generalize things, and if they see a sign that says "Authorized Vehicles Only" at the edge of one of the access points to the woods, they might assume the entirety of the woods is for authorized people only. |
Image 2: Everyone is Welcome in the Woods! Sign
The sign was made following the WSU brand Book and is in accordance with all WSU branding and usage. |
Now, I know not everyone might agree that people are being dissuaded by the Authorized Vehicles Only sign, which is probably very true. But I think adding this sign to the sign post will spark the idea that the woods might be a good place to take a break, find some peace, or a fun place to explore. This is encourage student interaction with the woods which is essential to preservation of the woods.
|