Campus News Briefs
Play park unveiled
The Rotary Club of Salt Lake City, the City of Salt Lake and the Salt Lake Paralympic Committee unveiled the All-Abilities Play Park (AAPP) at Liberty Park on March 7.
The AAPP is a new state-of-the-art playground for children with disabilities.
Keith Christensen, an accessibility specialist with the Center for Person’s with Disabilities at Utah State University, is one of two people in the country who specialize in designing such playgrounds and played a major role in the creation of the new facility.
“On a playground, children interact with and gain acceptance from their peers,” Christensen said. “Most playgrounds are designed around one type of activity, usually physical. If a child can’t do those things, they can’t play. We want to create an environment that moves beyond physical access to social access, where kids of all abilities can interact and play together according to their own ability.”
For more information on the park, contact Christensen at 797-3997.
West Nile vaccine available for virus
More than 400 equine cases of West Nile Virus were reported in states east of the Rocky Mountains last year, and if the disease continues to spread as predicted, it will probably reach at least part of the West this year.
Clell Bagley, Utah State University Extension veterinarian, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) is in the process of establishing a West Nile Virus Internet site at www.ag.state.ut or www.health.state.ut.us under the topic West Nile Virus.
Horse owners and veterinarians have requested they be allowed access to the equine vaccine marketed by Fort Dodge under a conditional use permit.
Bagley said it is especially important to those who are showing or competing with their animals in the Southern states. The vaccine was used extensively in Georgia and Florida last year and has now been approved for use in Utah by Mike Marshall, the state veterinarian with the UDAF.
West Nile Virus has killed hundreds of thousands of crows and caused 16 human deaths in the United States since it appeared in North America in 1999, Bagley said.
West Nile Virus mushroomed since it first appeared in New York City. It has been detected in more than 80 species of birds, 22 species of mosquitoes, horses, bats, cats, rabbits and other animals.
“The message is that this virus is here to stay,” Bagley said. “When it makes it to Utah, it will also stay here with us.”
Bagley said every horse owner should talk to their veterinarian about the potential need for vaccination.
Correction
In Friday’s newspaper, it was reported that Shelly Swasey received 845 votes for Associated Students of Utah State University athletics vice president. Swasey actually received 1,845 votes and won the race. The Statesman regrets the error.