Most students have walked home on the seemingly deserted, dimly lit streets of State College late at night. So in the morning when one wakes up and reads the latest news on what the State College Borough Council is doing to make the borough safe, one can only rejoice. Right?

Wrong. The council tosses around ideas to keep State College safe such as new lighting and changes to surveillance cameras for months, sometimes years. But why has it taken so long for the council to act?

Recently the Borough Planning Commission decided streets west of Atherton Street needed new lighting -- specifically 20 new lights that are going to be installed on the already existent telephone poles. State College Borough Planning Director Carl Hess said the installation would be so easy and inexpensive -- only a total of $1,000 for all 20 lights -- that it would not even have to go through the council. However, the planning commission has not set a timeframe for when it will actually happen.

Also, if it is so easy, why hasn't the council dealt with it sooner? It certainly has been a complaint and issue of contention for many State College residents and students. It is clear if you walk around State College at night that lighting is deficient in several places like Calder Way and University Drive. Is the area west of Atherton Street such a high-crime area that it warrants the lighting more so than the other areas?

The council also put its efforts into the surveillance and placement of the cameras on Beaver Avenue, and just relocated a camera to Calder Way and McAllister Alley. The move was proposed last spring. So a year later we finally received that "additional safety." This time would be better spent devising plans to increase police presence.

The council has used a plethora of excuses to explain delays, but how many times can other factors be blamed?

The delays and excuses make residents wonder what else the council could be doing. They are elected and are supposed to help improve State College. But how many years will it take and how many crimes will occur while the council is rifling through papers?