Texas State Facilities, Student Government and UPD partnered to hold the third annual Safety Walk on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
The Safety Walk is an annual event where Texas State staff, faculty and students are invited to walk around campus at night and spot potential safety issues such as poor lighting, damaged walkways or other hazards.
“This is a great opportunity for you as Bobcats to come out. Y’all are the ones that are walking campus late at night. Y’all are the ones that are exploring campus whenever we’re not here sometimes,” Cat Hoyt, alternative program coordinator for UPD said. “So this is your opportunity to come out and say, ‘Hey, I don’t like this area. I don’t feel like it’s safe.'”
Before the event started, UPD offered participants free pizza, glowsticks and flashlights. Representatives of Facilities, UPD and Student Government gave a brief summary of what the event was and how it has helped in the past.
A QR code was provided to the participants that brought them to a form where they could submit potential work orders for Facilities to address.
“Get as close as you can, we’ll figure out the rest,” Brian McKay, executive director of facilities services, said. “But the important part is participating and addressing your concerns that we find tonight.”
Participants in the walk were divided into six groups, each led by a different member of the Texas State Facilities staff. The groups were each tasked with patrolling a different region of campus.
Meah McCoy, anthropology and history freshman, said she participated in the walk due to her desire to improve campus safety.
“I don’t want future Bobcats or their families or faculty or future faculty members to be deterred and be like ‘Hey, I don’t think this campus is safe for my kid,’ because I think everybody should feel welcome,” McCoy said. “I think campus safety, campus lighting and all facilities being up to date is a huge part of that.”
McCoy said another reason she participated in the events was to help ensure the campus is accessible for individuals with disabilities.
“I personally have disability accommodations, so I think lighting for people with wheelchairs, visual impairments, just people with walking disabilities in general, I think they’d feel a lot safer on campus if we did fix these areas [that have] tripping hazards, broken pathways and lighting,” McCoy said.
