In lieu of our recent article covering the University of Maine Student Government (UMSG)’s announcement at Sept. 30 meeting that the UMaine Police Department (UMPD) will potentially phase out the HELP Callbox Blue Lights system in favor of the Black Bear Safe app, the Maine Campus spoke with several students to garner community feelings surrounding the change.
Overall, students interviewed seem to be reacting negatively to the potential switch, with some actually advocating for more HELP Callboxes to be placed on campus.
Casper Cowan, who is the president of UMaine Triota, shared his thoughts on the idea. Triota is UMaine’s Women and Gender Studies honor society, and regularly keeps in mind the interests of the university’s female and nonbinary students.
“I don’t really understand the switch. I mean, I get the financial benefits to cutting the lights, but I think that the visual symbol of a bright blue light cutting through darkness has been really helpful and made students feel safer, because they know what to do if there’s an emergency,” said Cowan.
Cowan then touched on how the change could affect students’ sense of safety while walking on campus.
“To me, it’s almost like having someone to walk home with, except that someone is a lamp post,” said Cowan. “Students are worried that the lack of visual deterrent and access to emergency response buttons will make them more susceptible to crimes on campus. The Blue Lights might not get used often but they make people feel safer, and feeling safe is important.”
Additionally, Cowan addressed the Blue Lights system’s limited use over the years.
“I know that within the last several years the only time the Blue Light system was used was to alert [the UMPD] about a black bear in the woods.”
Cowan also highlighted the importance of learning how to use the Black Bear Safe app regardless of the outcome of the decision on the Blue Lights system. He also advocated for the education of others on Maine’s medical amnesty laws in case of an emergency.
Others offered their thoughts on the potential shift to the Black Bear Safe app, including Justice Joy, a third-year secondary education and theater student.
“When I first came to UMaine, there were talks about removing the Blue Light callboxes, but nothing was set in stone. We were encouraged by RAs to download the Black Bear Safe app due to the Blue Light callboxes not working. I don’t feel comfortable with UMaine removing the callboxes because not everyone has access to their phone in emergencies. The app will not replace what [the] Blue Lights offer,” said Joy.
Joy also cited concerns about the app updating or crashing during an emergency. Like Cowan, she expressed a feeling of greater safety when Blue Light callboxes are visible, and added that having easy access to the callboxes has likely prevented dangerous incidents on campus. Joy concluded that she would feel safer on campus if more callboxes were installed rather than removed, and if UMPD had a better system for friend walks to make it less dangerous to walk alone at night.
Third-year child development student Kai Harden also offered her thoughts on the potential removal of the Blue Lights system, noting their removal could put students at greater risk in emergencies without their phones on hand.
“I feel like it isn’t a wise decision on the university’s part, and that they just want to cut costs wherever they can,” said Harden. “The lights are everywhere which makes people feel safe, but what if someone’s phone is broken or dead? They would be trapped. Somebody could become a victim just because something is wrong with their phone. [And] not everybody even uses a phone.”
As of now, UMSG VP Cynthia Shelmerdine told the Maine Campus that official plans have not been made to phase out the Blue Lights system, just that it is an option being considered by the administration. In an effort to better understand how students feel about the potential change, UMSG President Keegan Tripp sent out a school-wide survey in an email on Oct. 28. More updates will be provided as the situation develops.
