Burnt out light bulbs, large cracks in sidewalks and tall bushes were at the top of most checklists Tuesday evening as UNM students surveyed the campus during the spring semester safety walk.
About 300 students walked in the dark across campus to check for safety hazards that may not be noticed by maintenance or safety personnel. The Dean of Students Office and Physical Plant Department organized the biannual walk.
Danielle Rodgers, who volunteered with members of Chi Omega sorority, said she was excited to participate because she is nervous walking around campus at night and wants to see more lights up around the buildings.
"I don't think there are enough lights on campus and I feel unsafe walking alone unless I am with my friends," Rodgers said.
Robert Dunningham, campus safety manager, told the students their job was to identify safety hazards and unsafe areas around campus.
"Your input is valued and we take all of your information and take appropriate steps to get this campus a safer area to be, especially in the evening," he said.
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Dunningham said 90 percent of the requests that students make are implemented and are taken very seriously by the Physical Plant Department.
"If lights are needed, we contact PNM, if lights are burnt out, you'll see maintenance taking care of that the next day," he said.
Harvey Chace, associate director of Physical Plant, said the department has new ideas to keep the campus safe that should be completed by the end of the semester.
"Based on the suggestions from students, we hired a lighting expert to evaluate our campus and we have started implementing his suggestions," Chace said.
Sophomore Jericho Sanchez, junior Jason Beall and senior Mahad Ahmed evaluated the Redondo Village student apartments and said they noticed very few safety concerns.
"We didn't see much except for a burnt out blue safety light and maybe an area that could be better lit, but otherwise, everything seemed safe," Beall said.
Ahmed said this was his fourth year taking part in the campus stroll and has noticed a change in the concerns the group documented last year.
"I think this is a very effective approach to making the campus safer and I have noticed that the Physical Plant has made an effort in making things more comfortable," Ahmed said.
Freshman Emily Bryl said she walked around Mitchell Hall but didn't see many safety concerns.
"We saw two lights that weren't working and a little graffiti, but nothing too drastic," Bryl said. "From what saw, I would feel safe on campus."
Overall, most students said they felt comfortable being on campus at night.
"I think UNM does a good job of making students feel safe and I commend them for taking our suggestions seriously," senior Chris Morales said. He added that he doesn't feel threatened at the University at night.
The student comments and suggestions are forwarded to Physical Plant officials, who categorize them for the Dean of Student's Office to evaluate.
