Students, faculty and staff will look through the darkness for a light that will guide them to safety today.
In the fifth annual Walk in the Dark, UH Police Chief Malcolm Davis said risky areas on campus will be highlighted.
"We divide into four teams," he said. "We bus them out to a particular point on campus and then walk back."
Student input is especially important in the walk because what might feel potentially dangerous to them probably won’t to a police officer, Davis said.
"Students need to be more involved in the planning that goes into making our campus safer," Student Government Association President David Rosen said. "It’s an opportunity for our constituents to speak first hand with the security officials and administrators that are in positions of power to change things on campus."
Davis said UHPD takes the suggestions from the walk and implements light fixtures in the specified areas.
As a result of previous walks, Plant Operations has spent more than $2 million on lighting projects, which includes improving lighting on sidewalks and in parking lots, The Daily Cougar reported in November.
Lighting, though important, should not be done in excess, Davis said.
"If a light is facing to the building and you’re behind the light, everybody can see you," he said. "But if the light is facing away from the building then nobody can see you because you’re between the building and the light."
A list of needed improvements is given to Plant Operations, and the most critical problems will be addressed first.
Replacing lights to conserve energy was a major improvement for the campus, Dave Irvin, associate vice president for Plant Operations, said.
"We started to replace older parking lot lights that cast yellow light with new brighter white lights that allow pedestrians to better see while still saving energy," Irvin said.
Pedestrian lighting surrounding Parking Lot 4A, at Wheeler Street and Calhoun Road, was also increased from Bayou Oaks north to the rest of campus.
Since the first event, more than $1 million have been spent upgrading exterior lighting and over $250,000 upgrading and adding blue-lit security phones, Irvin said. An additional $1 million has been invested in new security cameras that have been placed all over campus, he said.
"This year we have $200,000 available for security improvement suggestions that come from this year’s Walk in the Dark," Irvin said.
The walk will begin at 8:30 p.m. at the University Center entrance. All participants will be returned by shuttle bus to the UC once the walk is completed.
For more information, call UHPD at (713) 743-3333.
