The Colby Echo

Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Rob Kievit PPD cleared brushes near the walkway where the attack took place.

The discussion of campus security and student vigilance, continual top priorities for all members of the college community, has intensified on the Hill this week in light of the attempted assault on a student last Friday.

COLLEGE Responds
One issue that students have expressed concern about is campus lighting. According to Director of Physical Plant Pat Murphy, the college has conducted three different lighting surveys over the last seven years to identify and quantify problem areas. As it adds lights on campus, PPD studies student traffic patterns to determine where placement would be most effective. "Rather than making everything bright like a Wall-Mart parking lot, we'd prefer to evenly distribute lighting on campus," Murphy said. She explained additionally that one of the issues that PPD has been concentrating on as of late is the difference between the old style lights that remain on campus and the newer style lighting of areas like Miller Lawn. The older lights send light horizontally and do not work as well, while the newer ones "project light in a more even distribution." In response to the incident that occurred behind the Garrison-Foster Health Center, where an old style light is currently in place, PPD is looking into the possibility of updating the light as a timely fix for a problem area.

Murphy also reiterated that frequent lighting evaluations are necessary as campus renovations take place. "We look at travel patterns and focus our energy on corridors where people walk the most," Murphy said. With the opening of the Diamond Building last year and the newly renovated Pulver Pavilion this fall, students are invariably walking in places where, if lighting had not been an issue before, it has become one now. As Murphy put it, "Every single year that I've been here we've been adding lights, and we are continuing to do so as often as we can to address problem locations."

To specifically address the spot behind the health center where the student was attacked, PPD has cut down some brush that had overgrown and fallen onto the walkway. Director of Security Pete Chenevert said, "We saw where wind had blown lots of trees and brush, and so we cut that back." Murphy noted that this effort will "help illuminate things" and that PPD will continue this practice if similar problems are identified in other areas.

Continued...

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