On a frigid night yesterday, Rebel Roberts, Safety and Security's crime prevention officer, led a group of mainly administrators on a two-hour tour that examined outdoor lighting across campus.
In the process the most important student question about campus lighting was answered: No, lights do not intentionally go off when people walk past them.
The tour, which covered the entire campus, assessed all aspects of the College's lighting, evaluated the changes made in the past year and looked for ways to improve safety by making dark areas brighter.
"The tour is a chance for the community to voice its concerns about the lighting at Dartmouth," Liza Veto '93 of College Health Service, said. Only two undergraduates showed up for the tour, including Benjamin Hill '98, a member of the Student Assembly's subcommittee on safety.
"During the last two weeks we have made a concerted effort to put all the lights in that were pointed out during last year's tour," said John Gratiot the associate director of Facilities Operations and Management, at the start of the tour.
Members of the tour were divided over the purpose of lighting - with some wanting lights everywhere and others hesitant to put lights in locations that might disturb the area. The lighting on campus is a delicate balance that aims to provide safety for pedestrians while not disturbing area residents.
The debate was highlighted by a stop near Wilder Hall, a relatively dark spot when viewed from a distance.
Jennifer Myers, a graduate student at the medical school, pointed out that it would be very difficult to spot anyone by Wilder. In response Gratiot asked, "What is the purpose of campus lighting? Is it to make it possible to see a person who may be hiding, or is it there so a person feels protected when in the area surrounded by light?"
The group decided the College should install an additional light around Wilder, in addition to about 40 other locations around campus. FOM is in charge of deciding where lights should be installed, acting on recommendations of the tour group and others.
Throughout the tour, members payed close attention to areas whose lighting has been greatly improved and those still needing improvement.
Areas the group thought need better lighting include several locations around the River Cluster of dormitories and the area behind the old hospital.
Previous efforts have led to the installation of additional lighting on Tuck Drive and in the area surrounding the Gold Coast dormitory cluster.
The tour group also stumbled across several oddities while documenting campus lighting, including a lamp in front of Phi Delta Alpha fraternity that had been painted black.
The tour continued on with relatively few problems until they passed in front of Baker Library and a light shut off when the group approached.
"Some lamps are fitted with a timer and some lamps just go off because of a problem inside the lamp, but lamps do not go off on purpose when people go by," said Bill Corrette, of FOM.
Those on the tour included Assistant Dean of Students Teoby Gomez and College Proctor Bob McEwen, in addition to representatives from Safety and Security, ORL and FOM.
"Ultimately people have to use common sense about which path to take, they can either walk in a heavily lit area or not. For the most part people do choose the right path," McEwen said.
