By Destiny Diggs
Contributing Writer
When a white van with green and yellow words is spotted on campus, be aware and move swiftly to ensure you are not blocking the safety vehicles from passing. While walking to class, instead of waiting for the public safety trucks to move, it is easier to just walk around them. Have you ever changed your direction in walking because of a public safety truck? If you can identify with any of these scenarios, join the club, because you are not alone.
Public Safety serves a great purpose, to create a presence on campus to make the students of LIU Post feel safe. “Public Safety is only making sure that we get to our classes safely,” said Adam Goedeon, a sophomore Radiology Technology major.
The Public Safety vehicles affect Post negatively, as well. There are certain times when campus gets congested, those times being right before 9:30 a.m. classes, during Common Hour, and after Common Hour. You would like to think that during these times, Public Safety would clear the path to avoid traffic, right? Nope! These vehicles can be found on the walkways and pavement near Humanities, as well as Hillwood Commons. Yes, we get it, the more students there are, the more important it is to be present.
Public Safety should park on the grass more often, or on the side of buildings, for example, by Humanities and Hillwood Commons. Parking directly in front of the door outside of Hillwood Commons is not the smartest thing to do, because it creates blockages similar to driving on a highway or intersection where there is a blockage.
“I would think it would be problematic because there are so many who move throughout Hillwood and Humanities throughout the day,” said Ervin Gonzales, a sophomore Musical Theater major. “On the other hand, it is good because they are there to make sure nothing bad happens.”
When there is a huge truck in front of you while rushing to class, it creates a domino effect of issues. When the truck is blocking a walk-way, it creates traffic and when traffic occurs, one could possibly be late to class. If you’re like me, you hate being late to class, I’m sure your professors aren’t too fond of it either.
If a student is late to class, their professor may look at the student as being irresponsible and disrespectful, especially if they are the type of professor who waits until most of the students arrive, before beginning the lecture.
Public Safety vans on the walkways of campus can be a little scary. Student have to pay very close attention to where they are going, especially when rushing to class, a campus event, or even to a work-study job. Not to mention, our generation is very into technology, so most likely when a student is walking, they are possibly scrolling through Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, or texting. While looking down at a device and walking, numerous Public Safety vehicles can be dangerous for that student, as well as for Public Safety themselves.
“I’ve become so accustomed to seeing the Public Safety cars everywhere, that now it’s just the norm; and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing,” said Britney Mitchell, a junior broadcasting major.
If you’re on campus and see a Public Safety vehicle, be aware and open your eyes to avoid an unwanted accident. Other things you can do to avoid some of the discussed negative impacts is to try and leave earlier to avoid getting to class late, or take pathways to your destination that are less likely to have Public Safety vehicles.
I think that Public Safety vehicles should get a horn or an automated voice that announces that the area they are occupying may be dangerous, and every person should clear the path. Why not? It would solve one of the biggest problems in the morning, during Common Hour, and after, which is traffic control.
Beep, beep! Hey, Public Safety, we’re walking here!
Representatives from Public Safety did not want to comment on the issue.
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