On Tuesday, Oct. 24, Colorado Mesa University President Tim Foster, along with Student Body President Ben Linzey and Associated Student Government (ASG), hosted the annual Safe walk. This event ran about an hour long and anyone was welcome to join.
There was a diverse, yet important group of people that attended the event: Foster, Linzey, ASG Vice President Gabby Gile, Director of Campus Safety and Student Conduct Pua Utu, Acting Director of Facilities Services David Detwiler, members of ASG and students.
The event began at 8 p.m. in order to ensure that it was dark, therefore the lights on campus would be visible. Everyone was instructed to keep their eyes ready for burned out lights and dark areas on campus. The group also looked for other areas that needed upkeep: hedges, bike racks, parking areas and other entities that cater to aesthetic appeal and student contentedness.
Foster, as well as others, were open to ideas and encouraged the group to come forward with any ideas to better the campus. Many ideas were brought to the table and physically noted by Detwiler.
“The only way we know to add or fix something on campus is if students tell us,” Foster said.
The 2017 safe walk was deemed successful and facilities plan to start making improvements right away.
“This is a really important event for both the safety and upkeep of the campus. We make it a point to do this annually and encourage anyone and everyone to join,” Linzey said.
Foster takes pride in the maintenance of the campus and responsibility for students while they roam it. As the group was making their round, there was a certain girl who made a comment about the heavy weight of her backpack. Upon hearing this, Foster insisted that he carry the bag until the walk was over. Foster consistently tries to prove his loyalty to students and does what he can to make their experience at CMU as best as possible.
Within the next few weeks, students should be able to see improvement regarding campus facilities, especially lights. Although there will not be another safe walk until next year, staff encourages students to report any concerns they may have.
