N.I.T.E. walk encourages students to report safety risks
Groups of students and staff will patrol USF’s campus Thursday during the N.I.T.E. walk, which aims to promote safety on campus.
The walk is put on by the student organization Network, Improve, Transform and Empower (N.I.T.E.) and takes place every semester. Other on-campus agencies such as University Police (UP) and Students with Disabilities Services also participate.
During the walk, students will be divided into 11 groups of five-to-six people. Each team will head to a different part of campus and look for potential safety hazards such as overgrown bushes, cracks in the sidewalks or burnt-out light bulbs.
Alexandra Pellot, the president of N.I.T.E., said that the Physical Plant fixes most things noted on the walk within a month.
Bigger projects are added to a “wish list” and may take more than one semester to be implemented.
“The wish list would be things like if we feel a blue light is a little far from the next one … we would like more lights in this area, another crosswalk so that people can cross safely in certain areas, things like that,” Pellot said.
The event is held at night to ensure that campus is safe at all times.
“A lot of things during the day we wouldn’t be able to see [like] the lights that are out, and that could really affect our safety by not being able to see our surroundings,” Pellot said.
Renna Reddick, communications and marketing officer for UP, said that students play an important role in their own safety.
“One way to accomplish this is by always remaining aware of your surroundings,” Reddick said in an email. “Using the ‘buddy system’ is always a great option.”
The free event will begin tonight at 7:30 in the Marshall Student Center Crescent Hill Patio.
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