UCA officials are addressing safety concerns discovered by students, administrators and University Police during Operation Safe Walk in November.
Six safe walk teams – consisting of representatives from UCA Police Department, Student Government Association, UCA Executive Staff, Physical Plant and Housing — compiled a list of safety hazards found during the walk. A Safe Walk 2010 report was created by the UCA Police from the information gathered by the teams. The report gives an overview of how the walk was conducted and an itemized list of potential safety hazards noted by the teams. A status report of the identified hazards and priority lists of proposed projects are available at the UCA Police Department website.
Over 80 % of all lights that were out have been repaired and lights have been added in areas that were considered to be dimly lit, said Larry Lawrence, Physical Plant director.
“By the end of this semester we hope to have all of the prioritized issues completed and we will also continue to work into the summer to address other areas that are of concern,” Lawrence said. “The campus will see a notable difference in the lighting of the campus after dark. We also have addressed most issues related to over grown bushes as far as the landscaping on campus. We will continue to monitor landscape in an effort to create open and visible spaces.”
The walk allowed UCA administrators to get a good sense of what the campus is like from a student’s perspective after hours and after dark, he continued.
“My hope is that we can address the concerns of UCA’s students and that they will feel safe on our campus not only during the day but after dark as well,” he said. “We appreciate the joint effort put forth from students and administrators to make Operation Safe Walk a success. It is an event that we will continue to do and it will only make UCA a better place to work and live.”
All departments involved have made significant strides to address these issues with time and money, said University Police Chief Larry James.
“The information has not just sat on a shelf collecting dust,” he said. “There is action behind this collaborative effort and it shows that safety is a top priority at UCA.”