The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) executive members said last week that they will continue the lighting and safety initiatives from last year's improvements for the downtown and campus area.

Also, USG President Galen Foulke suggested the idea of having a safety coordinator to help out with concerns on campus, along with the chance of educational seminars about safety issues.

We applaud USG's efforts to continue these options for a more comfortable environment.

However, we need to stress the importance of not relying on lighting and safety education as a means to stop sexual assaults.

Not to perpetuate a culture of fear, but we need to be vigilant, and conscious of our surroundings at all times.

College is a time to have fun, and the Happy Valley moniker of Penn State can be a bit misleading to those who feel safe with just increased lighting and education.

While lighting may be a part of the solution to the problem of sexual assaults, we need to help each other out and take greater care when out on the town. Recognize problem areas. Think about the people around you, and how they may be acting. Report suspicious activity to the proper authorities.

Also, be responsible for your own actions.

Not to misplace the blame of the safety problem in State College, but everyone should know what is a safe situation and what is not. Walking home alone with a person you just met might not be the greatest idea.

Penn State has been doing a good job of educating incoming freshmen on the issue of consent and sexual assault, but maybe more should be done to educate new students on the recent assaults around town and the campus area.

State College and Penn State may have a false sense of security about it, but upperclassmen mostly know the truth and realize that bad stuff happens here. We've seen the reports from the police and newspapers about how many sexual assaults took place last year. We know the damaging affects something like this has on the psyche of women in our community.

But the assaults have not only been in lurking, creepy alleyways (ie; Calder Way).

There have been some off of Beaver Avenue, College Avenue and other places that could be considered not dark.

USG's steps are good to create a more well-lit area, but in no way does it make Penn State necessarily safer, and we shouldn't wrongly assume so.