By Franchesca Carrera
With the lack of lighting across the Simpson campus, students and staff alike seem to be saying, “Hello darkness, my old friend.”
Once the sun goes down every day, it is a fight to see when walking on campus. This can be dangerous for everyone, especially during winter weather conditions.
As the rain drops, so does the ability to see. It is already difficult in several parts of the school grounds, as there is little to no lighting.
For the most part, the only well-lit place is the pathway right in front of Owens near the clocktower. Besides that, lights line the walkways very sparingly.
This increases the chance of someone falling, running into something, or getting hurt in some other way.
This is only part of the problem. There is talk around school from many students about feeling unsafe on campus at night, especially from women.
“I try to park my car in very specific spots on campus because they do have lights, but they don’t get turned on,” said senior, Jacelyn Wedman. “The little stand lights, half of them are broken and the other half don’t turn on. If you’re walking around in the dark, it’s a little creepy.”
Not many students take night classes, meaning if something were to happen, there wouldn’t be anyone around to see or hear it.
Walking to and from the parking lot and in between buildings is a risk because of the nonexistent lighting. Women are vulnerable.
However, campus safety says they are working on the problem.
“The lighting issue has been a concern of ours over the last 3 years but due to the budget restrictions we have not been able to address it out of our operating budget,” said Paul Davis.
He also mentioned they are specifically concerned with the areas around academic buildings, as well as some resident halls and parking areas.
There is some good news for the SU community as progress is being made with light installations.
On top of campus safety working to add lighting, Student Government is also planning a ‘night walk’ with members of the department in order to fully understand the student side of the situation and make sure the lights will be placed where they are most needed.
Adding lights to the campus won’t solve the problem entirely, however, it is a step in the right direction and the added visibility can help prevent any future safety incidents.
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