 "Photo: Allen Broome")
 "Photo: Allen Broome")
The campus community did its part to combat crime Thursday during the fifth annual Moonlight Safety Walk.
The event, which took place from 6:30 to 8 p.m., allowed faculty, staff, police and student volunteers to separate and check various areas of the campus. Participants checked all blue light phones and looked for safety risks such as poorly lit areas, overgrown plants and tripping hazards, said Lt. Robyn Hearne of the University Police.
The campus is headed in the right direction in terms of safety, since violent crime has gone down, Hearne said. Despite safety measures on campus, students should still be cautious when passing through at night.
“All of us should be free to walk around safe at all times regardless of any distraction,” Hearne said. “The reality is we have to think like the suspect.”
Safety improvements have been made after every Moonlight Safety Walk since it was implemented, said President Paul Zingg, who has attended all five walks with Hearne.
“That was one of the understandings that if we’re going to do this, we wanted to be able to ensure the people on the walk that their observations and their recommendations won’t go unaddressed,” Zingg said. “Every observation that every group has made has resulted in action.”
Some safety hazards such as burnt out lights are fixed immediately, he said. Other issues such as cracks in the walkways and dark sections of campus take longer to attend to because they need to be planned out.
The Public Safety Advisory Committee keeps maps of safety hazards that are found from year to year, said Matt Thomas, associate professor of political science and chair of Chico State’s Public Safety Advisory Committee.
As the maps develop each year, so do areas of potential concern, Thomas said.
There were 69 participants at Thursday night’s walk, a number that has grown since the event started, Thomas said.
Despite improvements made because of the Moonlight Safety Walk, there are still major areas of concern, said senior Courtney Dawley, who routinely passes through campus after dark because of a late class.
A lack of light and overgrown bushes where Dawley parks her bike pose a safety hazard, she said.
The University Police recommends specific well-lit routes for students to take at night to improve safety, Hearne said. However, the routes they suggest are not always the ones most often used.
“I think it’s really important to have the students here because they know the paths they travel and are going to be taking,” Hearne said. “Sometimes they identify other areas that are more likely to be used.”
Associated Students is also becoming more involved in campus safety, said A.S. President Joseph Igbineweka, who also took part in the Moonlight Safety Walk.
“We take it upon ourselves,” he said. “With Halloween coming up, safety is a main concern.”
Student safety has been a focus for Igbineweka since his campaign last semester, he said. He plans to focus on prevention of on-campus crime in the future.
Chico State is an overwhelmingly safe campus, Zingg said. However, criminals are still around and students need to take responsibility and be aware even though programs such as the Moonlight Safety Walk help alleviate some risks.
“It’s an event with legs,” Zingg said. “It has results.”
Mike North can be reached at
mnorth@theorion.com
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