Blue light emergency phone stands are among the important University safety measures available throughout campus. While these stands and boxes appear sporadically around campus, they are notably absent from areas en route to the Charles River apartments. Students may find that the emergency boxes are not as numerous or prominent as is appropriate for a college campus. We believe the absence of blue lights in the Charles River area should prompt the University to reassess the protection measures of other parts of the campus as well.

Students who live in Charles River apartments often walk through the University Office Park lot or along Angleside Road to get home. According to the Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan, there are currently four blue stands in the Charles River vicinity, yet there are no emergency stands in University Office Park or on Angleside Road. This leaves a long stretch between the Women's Studies Research Center and the apartments without any safety measures in place if a student is in need.

Further, the section of South Street between the Women's and Gender Studies building and the main gate also lacks basic street lights and is unnecessarily dark. Given the assaults that occurred on South Street last year, it would be prudent to try to make the street as safe as possible for students. Even with a blue light stand outside Ziv Quad, the absence of street lights is particularly daunting to students walking home alone at night. On campus, there is no sidewalk on Loop Road between the Rose Art Museum and Hassenfeld Lot.

Last year's hit-and-run highlights the possible hazards of walking along roads without sidewalks at night. While the University does not the own property on South Street, Angleside Road or University Office Park, we encourage the Department of Public Safety to discuss the idea of installing lights and blue stands with Waltham's town council and the owners of University Office Park in the interest of the students living in this area.

Though the blue light call boxes are rarely, if ever, used, their presence on Charles River can give students the comfort of knowing assistance is close by. Likewise, the additional lights on South Street can help students feel more comfortable.

We implore the University to consider these measures to further promote safety on campus.