Annual tour, held Sept. 18, helps make campus safer for all

Jordan Cespedes

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-17-2014

Abstract

Annual tour, held Sept. 18, helps make campus safer for all

As the sun started to set on Thursday, five groups of UND Public Safety, UND students and community members set out on the annual Lighting Tour.

UND Chief of Police, Eric Plummer, led one of the groups around campus. He urged people to notice any safety concerns such as: lighting, uneven sidewalks, overgrown shrubs, and any other safety hazards. Travis Novey, a freshman at UND, found the lighting tour beneficial for campus.

"Good to make sure everything is up to date and working the way it should." said Novey. He was one of the 60 people that attended the tour.

A familiar sight on the tour was the various construction sites. It is common for UND to have some construction happening during the year, but there is more of it happening this year. Even with all the construction, Plummer finds it helps the UND campus in terms of safety.

"There is more focus on safety and situational awareness with construction occurring on campus." said Plummer. "The lighting tour gives us the opportunity to observe possible issues on campus while the construction is being completed."

One safety concern students pointed out was not seen on the tour: cell phones.

"Adding the distraction of technology into the mix increases vulnerability to safety hazards and causes more people to become injured." said Plummer.

Cell phones can distract students while navigating through campus and cause them to be unaware of their surroundings.

Students were active in noticing safety concerns while walking around campus, which helped make UND a safer place. Campus faculty and community members also played a part. Linda Olson found the tour beneficial for all UND members.

"I think it's nice for the students and community to come together for this. It brings everyone together to focus on the safety of not just students, but everyone on campus," said Olson

By keeping the Lighting Tour annual, Plummer has noticed the differences it is making on campus.

"It heightens the awareness of safety as seasons change and the overall campus environment changes," said Plummer.

Students felt UND was a safe campus overall. Amy Polman, a junior at UND, feels "pretty safe walking on campus. I think the Lighting Tour helps keep that safety."

Jordan Cespedes University & Public Affairs student writer

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