As Tuesday’s dreary skies cleared and the wind reduced to a breeze, over 30 students and administrators met at 6:45 p.m. in front of Hovey Hall to commence the fifth annual Night Walk. This walk commemorated Illinois State University professor Adam Peck, who passed away in 2022 due to a collision with a bicyclist on campus.
“Adam was a huge advocate for all kinds of campus safety initiatives across this campus. Being able to bring student voices together to talk about any concerns that they have, and ways that we can address [those], is really exciting,” Emergency Management Coordinator Dan Simon said.
A few brief introductions from speakers included Vice President of Student Affairs Levester Johnson, ISU’s Director of Emergency Management Eric Hodges and ISU Chief of Police Aaron Woodruff. The theme of this year’s walk centered on the fast-build projects installed to increase pedestrian safety on campus.
The walk consisted of five stops where guest speakers, like ISU Environmental Health and Safety Director Adam McCrary, discussed the importance of the projects and how they would extend or dissipate depending on the feedback they would continue to receive until December.
“So we're going to be soliciting feedback for the next few months. As people interact with these quick-build projects, they can continue to give feedback. We've heard mixed reviews in some of our different locations,” McCrary said.
“One of the most popular ones, which actually isn't on campus, is the Broadway and Beaufort four-way. They're gonna keep that [while] still getting feedback on them, so we're still trying to figure out where all this is gonna land,” McCrary continued.
Woodruff felt the event was a great way to engage and learn about safety concerns within the community. Additionally, he said the walk was an opportunity to receive feedback from students.
“I hope they get to see that they have a voice, and if they have concerns, they get a chance to voice them. We've got a lot of partners, both with the town and the university here, that can help [while] addressing some of those concerns,” Woodruff said.
Multiple students attended the event along with members from the Student Government Association. As an off-campus senator, Miguel Figueroa has a responsibility to oversee the safety of those on campus. Figueroa enjoyed the walk because it gave him the opportunity to identify areas that may lack in security and suggest ways to improve them.
“I like that a lot of staff members, representatives from the town, our emergency management team, the police department and other student organizations are here. It's good to see the people who represent the students are here to see why the students need this or how they could better serve their constituents,” Figueroa said.
Senior cybersecurity and economics major Abhijith Jannu and sophomore political science major Jamel Campbell attended the walk. After hearing about the event through their adviser, Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Andy Morgan.
“A lot of information is very vital not just [for] the leaders on campus, but also for students to know. For example, the crosswalks near Watterson and the one by CVS, right? That one, the four-way stop, I did not know that [it] was related to what we were doing here,” Jannu said.
“I completely agree. It was something that I didn't really pick up on at first, and then I discovered that they were doing all these little projects. And I'm like, ‘Oh, they're doing it for us and for me,’” Campbell said. “I'm very big on campus safety. Being out here, being able to see exactly how the campus and ISU are keeping our students safe, is what means the most to me,” Campbell continued.
