Penn State behind in Big Ten blue lights

By TRACY WILSON
Collegian Staff Writer

Despite Penn State's school colors, less blue can be seen along University Park walkways than at many other Big Ten schools.

Penn State lags behind most of its Big Ten counterparts in the number of blue-light emergency phones on campus.

One reason for the current number of lights is cost. On average, the units cost $2,500, but the total cost can add up to $8,000 including installation fees, said Don Reed, Penn State Police Services security systems specialist.

Because Penn State is not a city campus, requesting funds for new blue lights is hard to justify because of the relatively low crime statistics, Reed said.

To keep costs down, Reed said Penn State often tries to time the installation of a new phone with other building projects, which cuts out the cost of construction.

Even though the University of Illinois is "within sight of cornfields," a blue light is within eyesight of most places on campus, said John Benberg, Illinois' campus risk manager.

Illinois installs two to three blue lights each year and continually scouts potential locations. It also requires any new construction projects to include a blue light, he said.

Blue-light phones are not just necessary in areas of high crime, said Robert Patrick, associate director for the Department of Public Safety and Security at the University of Michigan.

"Before blue lights, you could be isolated in parking lots if your car broke down or you locked your keys in your car," he said.

Michigan also has installed lights in areas of town where many students live, he said.

While more blue lights at Penn State tend to be along roadways and on street corners, Michigan has found it advantageous to place them along paths and walkways, Patrick said.

At Illinois, blue lights can be seen along both roadways and walking paths, Benberg said.

"We have learned that we need to acknowledge the routes people really take," he said. "People are going to take the shortest distance between two points."