USG begins project to bring more outdoor lighting on campus

The Undergraduate Student Government is undertaking a project to introduce more outdoor lighting on campus.

According to Ella Cheng '16, the chair of the University Student Life Committee, the idea began with her predecessor Greg Smith '15, who met with the Department of Public Safety to discuss walking through dark areas on campus together last winter.

After receiving feedback about certain students not feeling completely safe on campus at night, Cheng said that she decided to tackle the issue.

"I thought about the best ways to address it, and then I figured that actually taking administrators on a walk through campus would be the best way to illustrate to them where the need is on campus," Cheng said. "The USG could be the one that planned the itinerary, so that we could take the student feedback and then map out the course of the walking tour."

Cheng is a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.

In preparation for the tour, members of the University Student Life Committee used Facebook last springto ask students what areas of campus they considered too dark and each committee member gathered responses from 10 to 15 people this semester.

The group collected over 100 student comments in total, Cheng said.

"We wanted to make sure we could see what the hotspots were, and we wanted to have enough feedback for future walks too," she said.

She said that she approached Vice President for Campus Life Cynthia Cherrey, who suggested inviting administrators from Environmental Health and Safety, Housing and Real Estate Services, Grounds and Buildings Maintenance and Public Safety.

Cherrey declined to comment.

The walking tour took place on Nov. 4 and included six students from the University Student Life Committee alongside the administrators. Cheng noted that they covered areas of high traffic and primarily focused on safety.

"A lot of students walk around campus and they feel like it's too dark in certain areas, so when you're walking alone, that makes you vulnerable. You just have a lack of a sense of security," she said, adding that aside from lighting problems, the tour addressed areas with rough asphalt, high traffic from vehicles and trees and shrubbery that can trip students.

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Scarlett Grabowksa '17, a member of the University Student Life Committee who is co-leading the project, noted that the tour revealed the need for more light on the path adjacent to 1937 Hall and leading toward McCosh Health Center, as well as in Prospect Garden and behind Prospect House.

She added that administrators expressed interest in installing a blue light near 1901 Hall.

Although no place on campus has ever struck students such as Ian Iverson '18 as too dark, Reva Abrol '18 said that she feels unsafe in certain unlit areas of campus, and walks faster or takes alternative paths in response.

"Especially if I'm trying to walk further down campus, past Prospect [Garden] and stuff like that, it can get a little scary sometimes, like walking from behind Feinberg to Prospect [Garden]," she said.

Grabowska said Cherrey's assistant took notes during the walking tour to compile into a report, which will then be sent to the head of each relevant department for evaluation.

Cheng said the administration seems highly receptive to the project for the sake of student safety, but noted that the initiative may face opposition from the existing laws and residents of Princeton.

"The town is very limiting on how many lights we can have on campus, because the locals don't like to have a lot of light — because then you have light pollution, you can't see the stars," Cheng explained. "Meanwhile, there are clearly some areas on campus that do need more lighting for students to feel safe at night, or to walk without tripping over branches, that sort of thing."

Administrators will meet with the University Student Life Committee every semester to continue improving safety across campus, Cheng said.

Although there is no concrete plan of action based on the first walking tour according to Cheng, Grabowska said that Cherrey plans to complete some improvements by the time she meets with the University Student Life Committee in the spring. The spring tour will focus on the lower part of campus, including graduate housing.

Don Martocello '18 said that he supports the University Student Life Committee's project even though he never feels endangered at night.

"If it's in the budget and you find some way to make it renewable energy, then there's no reason why you shouldn't have it," he said. "It'll make the majority of students feel safer on campus, so it's a good thing"