Most residential students of Shepherd know how creepy it can be walking back to their dorms late at night, especially when going through the tunnel under Shepherdstown Pike. Although this tunnel is well-lit and rather short as far as tunnels go, it can be pretty unsettling walking through there when you just want to get home. You never know who or what could be lurking just around the corner. That’s why a mirror is installed on the east side of the tunnel. However, many students have noticed that the mirror is not quite doing its job.
The mirror is in place to allow pedestrians to see if there is anyone inside or just outside the tunnel when approaching it. It is supposed to be placed strategically to allow the best view of these blind spots so students are safe. However, the mirror, as far as many students are concerned, is useless. It actually sways and moves around when the wind is blowing.
I don’t believe that the mirror is supposed to be loose enough to move around. If so, it is a very poor design. Apparently there were some students who tried to move the mirror by pushing it, throwing things at it or otherwise disrupting its correct position.
When contacted about the supposed mirror vandalism, the Shepherd University Police were unaware that the mirror was even shifted out of position. However, they did put in a work order to have it corrected by Shepherd Facilities.
Now that the mirror is back in place, these vandals need to realize that safety on campus is not something to be taken lightly. Even if it was just a joke or they didn’t mean any harm, their disregard for the safety of their fellow students reveals how immature and disrespectful they are. The students on this campus deserve to feel safe when they need to walk around campus, and the mirror helps add to that sense of safety, even if only slightly.
Isabel Paterson, a graphics design major, said she doesn’t really feel safe walking through the tunnel at night, especially when she is alone. She commented that she had never seen the mirror in the right position and how frustrating it is that people can so easily mess with it. “Plus, a lot of people don’t even know what it’s for,” she said.
“I actually never noticed it,” Rachel Brady, a communications major who lives on campus, said of the mirror by the underpass. “Maybe they should install cameras here because if somebody does get attacked, they would help more.”
Paterson mentioned that she thought adding more lights along all of the pathways would help student safety. Walking through dark spots “is the main thing that freaks people out,” she said.
Whether the Shepherd Police will add new measures to make students feel safer at night is unknown, but at least they corrected the issue of the mirror. Nonetheless, the real issue is not whether we can see who is around the corner by the underpass, it is the fact that some people do not see a problem with upsetting others’ safety. Walking by yourself at night is frightening enough. Please respect the safety of your peers and leave the mirror alone.
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