Shining a light on civil safety
Ross Boettcher
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Members of the Government of the Student Body, greek system, Ames Police Department and Ames City Council gathered under a flickering streetlight Monday to conduct a safety walk in and around Campustown and the greek community.
For the first time, groups scoured the streets for problems such as broken glass, overgrown shrubs near sidewalks, uneven sidewalks and, strangely enough, the same type of streetlights that cast an on-and-off glow in front of Ames Fire Station Two, the spot in which participants congregated and were given direction for the evening's event.
In years past, groups have conducted safety walks for individual areas such as the greek community or Campustown, but Ames Chief of Police Chuck Cychosz said the safety of the community is something that affects everyone.
"We all share a common goal: We're concerned about the safety of the community," Cychosz said. "We're absolutely about the student turnout and the student interest in events like this. It really takes this partnership to maintain the safety of the community."
While it may seem like a daunting task to get greeks and members of both the city and GSB together to collaborate on the issue of safety, Dan Fischer, junior in agricultural business and director of government relations for GSB, found the task much easier than anticipated because of the overall interest of all parties.
"This is an area, other than campus, that students are in most of the time," Fischer said. "I think it's great that we can all work together, because it's an area that affects everyone."
About 30 individuals broke into eight groups and, with flashlights in hand, spread from Beach Street to Sheldon Avenue to take note of any problems that needed fixing. Although the issues being highlighted normally go unnoticed to general passers-by, having members of the community work together to ensure safety in Ames is something GSB President Brian Phillips, senior in political science, feels is priceless.
"I think this is a really good thing, it gives us an opportunity to address problems as a whole," Phillips said. "It certainly gets students more involved with the community and working towards a better Campustown community."
Although the chilly fall air cooled the cheeks of those helping out Monday night, the contact and camaraderie obtained by the different groups is something that will hopefully provide positive changes for the safety and overall nature of the Campustown community.
"In today's world, it really takes a partnership between the community and law enforcement to maintain safety," Cychosz said.
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