International students and the accessibility of campus could be impacted by a plan to construct sidewalk paths around Jonesboro.

Andy Shatley, a member of the connectivity advisory committee, presented connectivity projects in a Jonesboro city council meeting April 2. Several projects discussed would create sidewalks and paths from Arkansas State University to other areas in Jonesboro.

One of these projects is a plan to connect A-State to downtown Jonesboro. 

“It connects eight or nine thousand students to our downtown, so that’s a big deal,” Shatley said.

This path is fully funded, currently under construction and expected to be completed this year.

Blake Walker, associate director of Access and Accommodation Services, said a sidewalk connecting A-State to downtown Jonesboro would greatly benefit students and accessibility. 

“Sidewalks are the backbone of physical accessibility,” Walker said. “There is a significant portion of the population that, for one reason or another, do not have access to personal transportation.”

Walker said there is currently no convenient, safe and accessible way to get from A-State to downtown Jonesboro via sidewalks.

“Downtown is primarily where a lot of things happen, even the city council meetings are downtown, so you should be able to participate in your community and civil events,” Walker said. 

Another proposed project on East Johnson Avenue would add a sidewalk connecting Caraway Road to the Catholic Newman Center, a path where Shatley said the grass is already beaten down from heavy pedestrian traffic. 

Walker said building infrastructure over “desired paths” pedestrians already use is important for accessibility and safety. For wheelchair users, Walker said concrete sidewalks are much more accessible than dirt paths. 

The associate director said investing in pedestrian infrastructure can also benefit the international student population on campus. 

Sheik Md Nihal Rahman, a junior computer science major from Bangladesh, said he supports the plan to build new sidewalks. 

“As someone who tends to walk every day to campus from off-campus housing, I do prefer having sidewalks that are more direct and more easily accessible,” Rahman said. “It is a pretty good plan given the fact that a lot of international students tend to walk around to get around Jonesboro.”

The computer science major said constructing and maintaining accessible sidewalks in areas that are traveled often would encourage international students to be more comfortable walking on and off campus.

Walker said he thinks another area that needs attention is the northern part of Johnson Avenue near McDonald’s. 

While there are crosswalks and sidewalks in this area, Walker said they are poorly maintained. He said the McDonald’s attracts a lot of pedestrian traffic across the street, so infrastructure in that area should be maintained. 

Walker said sidewalk accessibility is a worthy investment even from an economic standpoint, as pedestrian infrastructure, “in the grand scheme of things,” is much cheaper to maintain than a road and requires minimal maintenance. 

“Why would you not want to create as many avenues to access businesses, resources, campus and the community in general when it is a very minimal investment?” Walker said.

Additionally, the associate director said improved sidewalks can bring a sense of belonging. 

“Being able to access, participate and see your community helps to foster that sense of belonging,” Walker said. “By nature, people seek out places where they feel like they belong, where they can see people like them, interact with people, feel welcomed and feel like they have something to contribute.”

Benjamin McDowell, staff writer, contributed to this report. 

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