Lighting desperately needed on East

In the Nov. 26 edition of The Chronicle, University employee George Flatau discussed the importance of additional lighting on East Campus. Flatau stated that the administration fails to recognize that "students, employees and community members do in fact run around East Campus in the dark" for various reasons. I, like Flatau, believe the administration and Campus Police need to do something about the current lighting situation on East Campus.

For many students on East, the only time to go to the gym or to run is in the late afternoon when all classes are done or all their work is completed. Freshmen cannot help the fact that they go to dinner or visit the library in the dark since the sun sets much earlier this time of year. No student should have to be in constant fear for their safety on any of the University's campuses.

Students who run along the trail surrounding East Campus late in the day, go to the gym or walk across East at night must deal with this problem. The only lights provided on the trail are at the four corners and entrances of campus, which means students run for extended periods of time without ample lighting or completely in the dark. The lampposts placed along the circle are not very bright and do not illuminate the walkway or a significant part of the area they are to cover.

Given the number or recent robberies at the University, one would assume that the administration would attempt to rectify the situation partly by improving the lighting on both campuses. I have seen little change, however, in the lighting on campus. If the administration really cared about its students and safety on campus, perhaps the nightly walk I take to the library would be much brighter, thus eliminating the need for a flashlight to properly ensure my safety across a dismally-lit East Campus.

Sean Smith

Trinity '00