This story was originally published on May 8, 2026, by the Farmington Flyer and has been republished through the UMS Exchange student media partnership. The article title has been changed from ‘UMF Light Safety’ to ‘UMaine Farmington Light Safety’ for clarity.
If you haven’t explored UMF during the midnight hours, you wouldn’t be remiss in not knowing about the strobing light fixtures causing some problems on our lovely campus. Currently, there are four problematic lights on campus. These are located behind the Psychology Building, on the side of Roberts Hall, behind the defunct Honors House, and most prominently, at the entrance of Lot 26. These lights have been problematic for some time, with the light behind the Psychology Building being an issue on and off since the beginning of the Fall Semester.
Some, it seems, have taken notice and have even taken action. Junior Sabine Adams is currently gathering data from the campus in order to draft a grant proposal that aims to both bring attention to and hopefully remedy the issue. Speaking with Adams, their main concern was for photosensitive individuals on campus, particularly those on campus who deal with photosensitive seizures. The campus seems to agree with Adams, as shown by data from a survey they put out in order to gauge campus sentiment.
Their survey was geared towards Lot 26 due to it being the biggest lot on campus, and the light’s position right at the entrance. When students were asked if the flickering light located in lot 26 impacted their ability to drive, 65% of participants responded yes. Participants were invited to leave anonymous comments at the end of the survey, which follow here.
“I think the flickering light poses a serious issue to students and drivers with epilepsy or anything triggered by flashing lights. It’s both a safety and accessibility issue. It needed to be fixed yesterday!”
“Considering it’s near a wooded area and there isn’t more lighting, for the safety of animals or people, is concerning. And as well for people who medically cannot park there because the light flickers.”
“My friend almost hit someone because the flickering light made it difficult for her to differentiate between a person and the darkness.”
