Lack of lighting and uneven sidewalk cracks are the main findings of the UMD SGA Safety Walk

Disclaimer: Imaan Shikoh, co-director of the Student Government Association’s student affairs committee, is a former Diamondback columnist.

The University of Maryland SGA hosted its annual safety walk on Tuesday evening aimed at highlighting safety and accessibility issues on and around campus.

Members of the Student Government Association committee, university staff and the University of Maryland Police attended the event. During this year’s walk, community members noted the lack of lighting and uneven cracks in sidewalks on campus.

The participants were divided into three routes. One group focused on Route 1, while the second group headed to the north campus towards the dorms, and the last group headed south towards Lefrak Hall.

Paisley Brockmeyer, SGA’s director of transportation and infrastructure, said the authority is trying to change routes from previous years based on residents’ concerns.

“We’re taking some of the concerns we’ve heard over the year and making sure we address them,” Brockmeyer said.

Brockmeyer, a senior majoring in physiology and neuroscience, said the SGA representative received many complaints about lighting on the Washington Quad, so the authority made sure that area was covered by one of the routes.

(UMD students participate on SGA committees while awaiting a divestment resolution)

Imaan Shikoh, co-director of SGA’s student affairs committee and leader of the third group, also highlighted lighting issues on campus.

Some members were considering potentially adding more light poles near the South Campus Dining Hall, Shikoh, a senior public policy specialist, wrote in a message to The Diamondback.

As The Diamondback previously reported, the lack of streetlights on South Campus was also an issue during last year’s safety walk.

However, Brockmeyer said many of the lighting problems reported last year have been fixed.

“There will always be minor issues (such as burned out bulbs), but this audit helps us remember that and ensure our lighting is getting better every year,” she said.

She wrote that the Shikoh group also reported uneven cracks on heavily traveled sidewalks.

Sidewalk cracks have also been a problem on North Campus this past year, according to Bob Pils, executive director of building and landscape maintenance at Facility Management.

(UMD SGA is organizing a campus accessibility audit as part of Disability Awareness Month)

Alejandro Perez, an Incident Response Unit employee who participated in the Safety Walk, also noticed cracks in the sidewalk. To better work on campus repairs, it’s important to understand students’ perspectives, Perez explained.

“It’s honestly relaxing. It’s almost a stress-free experience,” Perez said. “You can handle everything without the pressure of, ‘Hey, I have to fix this.'”

Construction of the Purple Line also created “a lot of challenges,” Pils said. The situation is constantly changing, which is a key factor to take into account when raising concerns, Pils added.

Brockmeyer emphasized how the construction of the Purple Line affected campus lighting.

“It’s easy to complain about the lighting,” she said. “But with the Purple Line, they had to tear everything down to rebuild the road.”

Despite concerns raised by participants, Brockmeyer said she was pleased with the level of participation and turnout. Brockmeyer explained that there was also a good balance between the university administration, students and police.

“It’s very good that we didn’t have much to say because it means that our previous safety walks were effective,” she said.