FAU’s annual Safety Walk is an event where leaders of the Night Owls, student volunteers, and officers from the FAU Police Department walk the campus to investigate safety hazards on campus and report them directly to the proper department.
On Thursday, volunteers were asked to meet outside the Student Union. Two groups were made to inspect different parts of campus. The walk began at 6:20 p.m. Due to inclement weather, the groups rode the Night Owls’ golf cart to assigned destinations and then walked to further inspect certain areas.
Sebastian Alderman, Student Government Night Owls director and driver, explained the purpose of the Safety Walk is to engage the FAU community in advocating, upholding, and investigating campus safety.
“It is here to allow everyone to have a central place to voice their concerns and find new ways to improve the campus altogether,” said Alderman.
A student approached the Night Owls asking what the Safety Walk was. Upon hearing the explanation, she described how a fallen branch on her commute could potentially harm her since she rides a bike.
The main issue found in past years is the amount of broken lights. This is why the event takes place at night since dark areas can be easily detected. Since this is an issue that is monitored regularly, there are stickers on the lampposts that have a specific number and barcode to assist in identifying and reporting them. Alderman pointed out how students have complained about the lack of lights in the walkway between Culture and Society and Arts and Letters.
Another common issue is damage on the roads. Alderman highlighted the condition of the road in Lot 1, the parking lot in front of the C.E. Lynn College of Nursing. The road has many cracks as well as serious sidewalk elevation on certain parts of the curbs.
When both groups met back at Student Union, group two shared their findings. Officer Ledek of the FAU PD Motors Unit expressed concerns over having one traffic camera covering a large area outside the College of Education Building.
“There is a large area being covered by only one camera and in an event of a hit and run, I can’t prove it,” said Officer Ledek.
Khaleel Allette, a junior criminal justice major, shared his experience with the walk.
“This was my first safety walk, and I found it interesting how there were a lot of safety issues around campus that nobody really pays attention to. It really makes you think about whether the university is prioritizing the safety of the students or not. All in all, I really enjoyed all the new information I was able to learn and would love to do it again if given the opportunity,” wrote Allette in an email.
Kim Nguyen is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information on this story or others, contact her at [email protected].
