The University's Security and General Safety Committee identified safety and lighting concerns in the areas behind Hereford College, around the Student Activities Building and around the construction in front of the drama building during a night tour of Grounds last Thursday.
The night tour, conducted biannually by the committee, allows members to look into concerns that have been raised by students, faculty and staff about safety around Grounds, according to committee Chair Mark Fletcher.
"It's always interesting, because it's one thing to hear someone's request and then another to see it firsthand," Fletcher said. "In some cases, the concerns were very real."
Fletcher added that by taking the tour at night, the committee is able to get a better idea of what areas are in need of lighting to increase security.
"Obviously, you see things a lot differently when you see it [at] night," Fletcher said.
According to Fletcher, one area of concern was the new road that runs behind Hereford College. He said because the road is new, there is no lighting in the area, and the committee plans to add more light fixtures to increase visibility.
The committee also found a need to increase lighting along Whitehead Road and near a stairway behind the Student Activities Building, due to students' frequent use of the building at night.
Fletcher added that the committee paid particular attention to construction sites around the University to ensure safety does not decline as the area changes.
"I meet with the contractors on those projects on a regular basis and look at those sights and see how the lighting is," Fletcher said. "You have to look at how, when you close off one path for students and it creates a new one, it affects where your emergency phones and lights are."
Members of the committee include representatives from areas of the University such as Parking and Transportation, University Police and the Office of the Architect. According to committee member and University Architect Helen Wilson, it is important that the Office of the Architect be involved in the night tour because of any construction changes that may need to take place.
"We are concerned when anything is a physical change to buildings, especially historic buildings and landscapes," Wilson said. "We would want to be involved in those decisions."
She noted this is particularly important when it comes to changes along McCormick Road, where lighting is "very inconsistent" due to the number of "significant trees" found in the area.
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