Abby Taylor
Online Content Editor
Hayden Freese
Staff Writer
Twenty-five out of 31 safety concerns reported by the Student Government Association (SGA) on its annual Night Walk are related to campus lighting.
The organization coordinated with the Student Services office to reveal and resolve any potential problems by walking around campus one night a year specifically looking for potential safety hazards.
“Night Walk is kind of our big event, but making sure and taking those safety concerns to our administration is yearlong, and that includes anything from lighting to an unsafe area on campus,” said Emma Turner, a junior exercise science major from Huntsville and SGA student welfare committee chair.
Herbert Reeves, dean of student services, said that the SGA divided into five groups to look for safety issues on campus.
“They (SGA) came back, and they, where they could, they took pictures where you could see what area they were talking about, and then they provide us (Student Services) a descriptor of what they’re looking at,” Reeves said.
Student Services divided the concerns into two separate lists, “lighting concerns” and “other safety concerns,” such as issues with crosswalks.
Once the lists were divided, Student Services passed on the lists to Physical Plant so the issues could be fixed.
“We (Student Services), in turn, take that report, and we generate a report to Physical Plant,” Reeves said. “Physical Plant takes the report, and they go ahead and start working on the lights that are out.
“I know a couple of things they have already corrected like trimming back shrubbery and stuff like that.”
Lighting issues were found close to campus that are on the city of Troy’s property, and Physical Plant is working with the city to get those problems fixed.
According to Reeves, Troy is moving to using LED lighting because it burns brighter, and it is less expensive.
“One of the goals the Physical Plant has had is to begin retrofitting all of our lights with LED-type lighting,” Reeves said.
Turner said she thinks the improvements will create greater student safety on campus.
“I think (students) will be very pleased,” Turner said. “I think they’ll feel a lot safer, especially with the lighting improvements that we’re getting.”
There will be another Night Walk spring semester, and until then, students can go to the SGA with safety concerns they notice on campus.
“For now, it’s just a follow-up and making sure we don’t miss anything,” Turner said.
SGA’s List of Safety Concerns
Lighting Concerns
• Lights out by Nursing building, around Newman Center parking lot
• Light out on band practice field
• Light out by Smith parking lot
• LED light out by faculty parking lot near Hawkins
• Light out on side of Nursing building
• Lights out on Trojan Village dorm building
• Emergency light is out by loop in Trojan Village
• Light out in amphitheater
• Lights on columns at Park
• Light at cross walk between dining hall parking lot and New Residence Hall
• Light out in parking lot behind Clements
• Lights out in Trojan Village parking lots
• Light out at the top of the stairs going toward intramural fields between Trojan Arena and football field
• Light out at bottom of stairs between Trojan Arena practice gym and football field
• Back TC parking lot/Malone parking lot lights are out
• LED lights by baseball stadium, across from Pace Hall
• LEDs between Hamil and Gardner Hall
• Light out beside fountain
• Light out on left diagonal walkway between fountain and left corner of Bibb Graves
• Light out in between Wright Hall and Barnes and Noble
• Light out in front Wright Hall
• Light out in front of library (left of library facing front of library near wheelchair ramp)
• Light out on bottom left side of walkway between the library and the fountain when facing Trojan Center
• Light out at back right door of Bibb Graves (where the admissions office was temporarily)
• Two lights out at diagonal walkway between Patterson and the Fountain; one on right and one on left
Other Safety Concerns
• The shrubbery on the parking lot (south) side of the crosswalk behind the dining hall is blocking the view of pedestrians crossing from oncoming traffic. Can this be trimmed back?
• The light on the top of the blue-light phone outside Trojan Village 200 is out and needs to be replaced.
• There is no sidewalk behind Trojan Village on either side of the road along the band practice field. Can we look at adding sidewalk there up to the townhouses?
• The sidewalk between Trojan Arena and the practice fields is broken in several places, creating a walking hazard for pedestrians.
• The crosswalk in front of the Health Center needs to be repainted. It is faded and hard to see, particularly at night.
