Since the late 1980s, blue beacons of light have lit up the night around campus.

Each blue light signifies the presence of one of the 43 emergency phones helping give students a greater sense of safety and security.

But just because the blue emergency lights have been a fixture on campus for so long doesn’t mean that the technology in use is outdated.

Lt. David Weekley of the University police works with students using the phones on a daily basis.

‘Each call from a blue emergency light comes straight into our front desk,’ Weekley said. ‘Our computers here can instantly tell us the exact location of the call, so even if a student isn’t sure where they are, we can come to assist.’

Also included in the number of blue emergency lights are the buttons in the elevators around campus.

The blue emergency lights are continuing to grow and change with the University.

Many new lights were added this summer, especially in parking lots, with more to come this fall in several shuttle bus shelters, wrote ITS Senior Network Administrator Michael Smith in an e-mail. New lights are added as often as possible, in order to increase campus safety, as well as to decrease the distance between individual blue emergency lights.

Both Campus Safety and ITS choose where lights will be installed based on visibility and common nighttime paths chosen by those on campus. They also try to make all lights in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, making them wheelchair accessible.

Weekley approves of the additions the ITS department is making.

‘The new lights that they’ve been adding are easier to use and a lot brighter due to the use of LEDs, making them easier to see, which is perfect for students,’ he said.

All of the lights installed in the 1980s were updated between 2000 and 2001. Since 2001, 24 emergency phones were added to the original 19.

All blue emergency lights are tested frequently by the ITS department, according to Weekley.

‘The lights are tested every week to make sure they are working,’ Weekley said. ‘It used to be that if one was down, it would take quite a while to get it working again, but now ITS gets them fixed almost right away.’

The University police also periodically run drills, making sure their response time to emergency light calls is a fast as possible.

The advent and popularity of cell phones has decreased the usage of the blue emergency lights, Weekley said, but they still get at least several uses a day, for anything from reporting vandalism, a student wanting an escort, or a visitor to campus that has become lost. They also still contribute to a general feeling of safety campus-wide.

Junior Taneisha Scott phrases the feelings of students well.

‘I’ve never felt unsafe here,’ she said. ‘I mean, I’m from Cleveland, and this is a small town. [Bowling Green] just feels like a pretty safe place to be.’

Regardless of whether a student in need of help chooses to use a personal cell phone or a blue emergency light, they will always be here.

‘They are there to use,’ Weekley said. ‘You never know what will happen. If someone drops their cell phone, or doesn’t have one with them, the emergency phones will be there, and we will be here to answer them. That’s what counts.’