LSU addresses lighting concerns at annual ‘Light Walk’

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The LSU Student Government Association hosted an annual event called “The Light Walk”. Organizers say it is a way to get administration involved, so that students can voice their concerns.

The focus of this year’s event is campus lighting. Recent incidents on campus have students concerned about what they perceive as a lack of lighting on campus.

The walk around campus addressed lighting questions, while students were able to learn more about a campus wide lighting project being implemented.

The SGA’s director of campus affairs and sustainability of LSU says this is one way the university is taking a step toward easing some of those concerns.

“Lighting in not only the light areas around campus but also the dark areas around campus is super important for security footage so if there is an incident around campus, we can make sure that we have good clean footage of that incident and handle it appropriately.” said GiGi Powers, the LSU Director of campus affairs and sustainability.

Walking alone on an open campus at night can be alarming, that’s why Mackenzie Dufrene, an LSU student avoids those walks often.

“Just all the stuff going on especially at the beginning of the year there was a lot of stuff going around in like the dorms and that’s where I’m staying so it’s a concern for girls,” said Mackenzie Dufrene, an LSU Student.

The purpose of the light walk is to identify areas in which they deem as insufficient lighting and bring in administration, so they know what students like Emma Planche deal with daily.

Planche tells us she was already suffering with anxiety, but recently had to get on medication and amp up her protection efforts so that she feels safe.

“Whenever I do have to walk, it’s constantly looking around and you’re just scared and I always have my pepper spray and my brother, he gave me a knife this weekend because after this weekend because after all of the stuff going on it’s just kind of scary,” said Emma Planche, an LSU student.

According to the university, construction for the lighting project is underway, addressing areas by priority.

There is a forum scheduled for next week, detailing the entire lighting project and answering more questions.

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