A YEAR ago, Student Council launched a new initiative called the "Lighten' Up" Campaign. This initiative aims to provide more lighting for off-Grounds housing to alleviate safety concerns voiced by students. To install these lights, requests must be made by students either online or in Student Council's Newcomb Hall office. After a request is made, a crime prevention officer then evaluates the lighting situation at various times throughout the night to determine if more lighting is needed in the area. Since The Cavalier Daily reported on the new campaign last October, coverage and promotion of the initiative has been lacking. In light of recent safety concerns at the University, Council should redouble their efforts to promote this helpful campaign, and University students should take advantage of the initiative and request the installation of lights in under-lit areas off-Grounds.
This campaign has noble goals worth accomplishing. First and foremost, the initiative tries to provide a safer environment for students in areas for which the University is not responsible. According to a press release by Director of University Relations Jen Bristol, "The easy application process and alacrity in providing lighting are incredible efforts to ensure off-Grounds safety for all students." Furthermore, CoCo Fraiche and Peter Townsend, the co-chairs of Council's Safety and Wellness Committee, argue that, "safety is an important University issue, and the Lighten' Up Campaign causes students to think twice about sufficient lighting and take ownership of their safety even if they do not fill out an application. Finally, it is vitally important that students stay vigilant in dark areas off-grounds."
In its first year, the Lighten' Up campaign met with a great deal of success. According to Fraiche and Townsend, "The former committee chairs requested roughly four thousand dollars for lights, yet Student Council did not spend a dime because all of the contacted landlords took care of the needed lights. The initiative was widely accepted by the landlords and by students who used the program to quell any feelings of danger in insufficiently lit areas." This is great news not only for the Council initiative but also for University students. The fact that landlords have been so willing to install more lighting shows a strong commitment toward safety in unpredictable and potentially dangerous communities. Clearly area landlords have been a great asset to the initiative, and the Safety and Wellness Committee must continue to make students aware of the fact that more lighting for their residence areas is easily accessible.
Fraiche and Townsend also reported that "at least ten student requests were met with inspections and installations." Though this number may appear insignificant, it most surely is not. Taking into account duplications of requests and the fact that popular housing areas, such as 14th Street and Wertland area complexes, are already very well-lit, a seemingly small number shows the success of this initiative. Ten lights installed throughout off-Grounds communities can make a noticeable difference to students living in under-lit areas.
It's clear through the support of landlords and the volume of lighting requests by students that the Lighten' Up campaign is one worth being continued. The Safety and Wellness Committee is off to a great start, but cannot rest on initial successes to keep the initiative going. The Committee should do all in its power to continue getting the word out to students that more off-Grounds lighting is available through filling out a simple request in Newcomb or online. Council recently distributed a press release outlining their intent to continue the initiative and encouraging students to file requests for more off-Grounds lighting. But a simple press release and new information recently posted on Council's Web site is not enough promotion for the campaign. The Safety and Wellness Committee should reach out to students who may not often check Council's Web site or regularly read The Cavalier Daily through means such as fliers around grounds and perhaps even chalking to support the initiative. The Committee has indeed begun to re-inform students of the campaign, and, as Fraiche stated, the Committee is, "in full-swing to re-initiate promotions for the Lighten' Up campaign."
In an era of increased safety concerns, Council's Safety and Wellness Committee has made a noticeable impact toward providing safer environments outside of Central Grounds. The Lighten' Up Campaign has been both successful and advantageous, and such an initiative deserves more promotion than it has received in the past year. I applaud Council's devotion to safety, and hope to see further promotion and implementation of the campaign. Furthermore, I encourage students to take advantage of this initiative; we should all be aware of the lighting (or lack thereof) on our streets, apartment complexes, or usual routes home. Filing a request for off-grounds lighting is a simple measure that can increase the safety of our community.
Claire Shotwell's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at c.shotwell@cavalierdaily.com.
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