It’s no secret that United Student Government (USG) has been swirling in controversy over the past few weeks – censures, tickets, funding and resignations all come to mind.

But this past week, USG made headlines for something more positive – a new committee is being formed to address accessibility issues on campus for disabled students. Senator Emily Harnett is leading the initiative that will begin measuring the logistics of accessibility available on campus.

Being a university located in the city, accessibility presents itself some obstacles. Sidewalks, skyscrapers and limited elevators are simply just a part of the challenge. But we are a university that preaches inclusion and diversity. We find part of our academic identity in including anyone and everyone we possibly can. Point Park is a family of diversified categories.

Now more than ever, we need to ensure that the accommodation of disabled students is at the top of our priority list.

USG’s commitment to addressing student concerns on this issue appears to be a step in the right direction. As college students, we know it’s our tendency to get caught up in our own problems. We have become very good at believing that our problems are the most important and pressing issues out in the ether. We do this so well that we may not realize that our fellow classmates are struggling with everyday issues – ones that we may take for granted.

Harnett, with her background in advocacy for LGBTQ communities, took a moment to look outside of her own perspective to see what others may need. She has evaluated what it takes to make campus safer and more inclusive for everyone.

The ability to take on another perspective is the kind of quality that is essential in a politician.

Awareness is not just a shining quality for senators; it can make all of us better people attuned to our communities needs as well.

We can all be challenged to look to Harnett as an example for what inclusivity can (and should) look like on this campus.