LSU has a beautiful campus with towering magnolia trees, a majestic bell tower and various blossoming flowers throughout the year. Unfortunately, once the sun sets it becomes difficult to see those things, as well as much of anything else surrounding you in the dark.
According to LSU’s Department of Residential Life, more than 65 percent of the freshman class lives on campus. The campus encompasses thousands of acres with most of its central buildings located on several hundred of those acres.
To put it simply: the University has a large campus with students populating it 24/7. With such a big campus and class times, ranging from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., the campus needs to enact more safety measures so students don’t feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Last year, there was an incident where a sorority girl was abducted near the row. Since then, Greek Life has implemented a system where each Greek house is assigned a police officer to contact when needed. The ample lighting from the brand new UREC also provides a sense of comfort to residents near there. However, there are no safeguards assisting those students who walk through the quad at night or who hike to their cars in the parking lots after sunset.
Campus police should have more patrols throughout the day and night. Seeing patrolmen on foot on campus not only eases a student’s mind but deters criminals from committing whatever terrors they had planned. While the campus does need to add more streetlights on campus, it also needs to prioritize fixing the scattered broken ones as well. Students, like myself, often take the night buses home from later classes. There is very little lighting walking from the Business Education Complex to the main bus stop, in front of the Journalism Building. Some students use their phone flashlights to comfort them, while others stay on the phone during their walk as a precaution.
I’m sure very few students have noticed the call box near the bell tower. Even with its bright blue hue, it’s tucked away on the outskirts of campus where very few students wander daily. You’d find it a difficult task to easily locate another call box in the middle of campus or on your walk from the quad to the stadium parking lots. In the parking lot by Lockett Hall and in front of Allen Hall, there are a few lamp posts, but not enough to make you feel at ease.
Some residents of the Pentagon struggle with parking in their designated lot due to lack of spots, so they often park off campus. Freshman year is intimidating and stressful enough without having to worry about your walk home.
Students shouldn’t have to take matters into their own hands. The University needs to find the money to put into protecting students’ lives and allowing them to feel safe on the campus.
Jordan Miller is a 20-year-old elementary education junior from New Orleans, Louisiana.