Hurricane Ike appeared to be responsible for most of the problems seen Wednesday night at the sixth annual Walk in the Dark. Campus lights are out in the heavily wooded areas on campus where uprooted trees damaged power lines.
"We had a lot of damage with Ike. We had a lot of trees down in this area. It took out not only a lot of the lights but it also damaged some of the underground circuits. We just haven’t had a chance to get that fixed," said Dave Irvin, associate vice chancellor and associate vice president of Plant Operations.
Once to twice a year, the Student Government Association sponsors the event at which faculty meet with students to tour the campus looking to improve campus walkways and safety. The walk started at 6:30 p.m. at the University Center, and participants headed toward the Roy G. Cullen parking lot where they circled back.
Dim lights were scattered along campus walkways. Irvin estimated approximately 5 percent of campus lights and seven to eight underground circuits were not functioning. He said that it was more than he was expecting to find.
"We’ll certainly have them up by the start of second the semester. I know we’re going to be working on Ike build-back through the winter break. This tour was good because it illustrated a lot of the problems we have," Irvin said.
Pathways along Bayou Oaks, M.D. Anderson Library, the Roy Cullen and Wheeler Park were critiqued for needing lighting improvements.
The Communication Building was noted for having poor lighting. While it is lit at night, the light is diffused and doesn’t provide clear vision. Should someone be attacked there, victims would not be able to make proper identification of their perpetrator.
The group discussed some ways to provide better lighting in the area, which varied from adding different lights in the hallway to installing an in-ground centerpiece in the courtyard.
Other topics of the night included adding new emergency call boxes. Many can be found along the perimeter of campus, but few exist in the interior.
Areas that are being considered for installation include the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building fountain area as well as the Fine Arts Building.
UH Police Chief Malcolm Davis said in addition to helping those who are in trouble, the bright flashing blue light the systems emit when activated serve as a deterrent to criminals and attract law enforcement from far away.
This year’s event consisted mainly of campus police, maintenance staff, SGA representatives and very little student body.
"I’m hoping that student government will agree sponsor one in the spring. I’d love to do it again. I know we had to move it this time because of some rain. So that’s what probably contributed to the attendance," Irvin said.
