I avoid walking alone on campus at night whenever possible. The noise and vibrancy of campus fades away with the sun, leaving behind poorly lit, eerily quiet streets.
But one night last semester, after spending a little too much time cramming for a chemistry exam, I decided I needed to get out of my apartment, and I headed to the LSU Library.
The trip there was uneventful, but the trek back reminded me why I avoid campus after dark.
As I headed back to my apartment, I thought I heard a car slow behind me — I reassured myself I was probably just being paranoid.
I picked up my pace and kept on my way, but soon the low rumbling behind me was too obvious to ignore. I passed an anxious glance to my left where a car eased to a stop. Anxiety rushed through me, but maybe the driver just needed directions, I told myself.
“You trying to get some d—?” a man yelled out from the driver’s seat.
My thoughts shattered in the darkness. I remembered the pepper spray I had in my bag.
And then I remembered I never took a moment to learn how to use it.
A road a few hundred yards away bustled with cars, but we were enveloped in a pocket of shadows, unseen by any passing drivers.
He repeated his question, and I mumbled a “no” that came out much more shaky than I had hoped. The man pressed once more; I shook my head while staring into the concrete.
To my relief, he started his car and disappeared down the corner in the span of a moment. I caught my breath and continued forward once again, this time much more quickly.
Though this incident was relatively minor and, thankfully, ended safely, I returned to my apartment incredibly frustrated—frustrated at the man, at the dark street and at the justification of my anxieties.
For as long as I’ve been at the university, students have expressed similar frustrations about feeling unsafe on campus at night. Yet, as I enter my fourth semester here, there has been little noticeable improvement to these repeated concerns.
Though it may seem small, if the university cannot prioritize a relatively simple safety issue such as lighting, why should students have faith in larger-scale culture changes?
If the university can find a $100-million replacement for former head football coach Ed Orgeron after a few bad games, surely it has the time and money to address what amounts to years of safety complaints from students.
Improved infrastructure is only part of the solution to a safer campus, but it’s one so easily in reach—if only the university would choose to prioritize it.
Claire Sullivan is a 19-year-old coastal environmental science and political communication sophomore from Southbury, CT.
