Norse Walk brings beautification, safety issues to light
Senators Ella Mravec and Ben Martin point out the lack of signage on the College of Business. The Norse Walk took place on Monday, March 16.
Members of student government conducted the Norse Walk on Monday, March 16, pointing out potential safety problems as well as beautification and branding opportunities around campus.
According to Senator Ella Mravec, who facilitated the walk around main campus, student government is concerned with clear signage on all of the buildings, the addition of call boxes in areas that may be dark at night, as well as more foliage around Loch Norse.
Senators pointed out the fact that some buildings are not clearly labeled, which could serve as a problem for new students and visitors. The College of Business, for example, cannot be recognized from a distance because there is no signage (see gallery).
Members of student government also saw a need for additional call boxes in areas around campus, specifically in the open area between Steely Library and the Fine Arts Center.
Lieutenant John Gaffin also attended the Norse Walk.
“There really wasn’t anything that I saw as a red flag, but when you have been here [at NKU] for so long it helps to have some fresh pairs of eyes looking for any issues,” said Gaffin.
Gaffin also said that the police department is concerned about the lack of lighting along University Drive, specifically at the bottom of the hill by the Bank of Kentucky Center. Because cars may be traveling fast down the hill, Gaffin feels there is a need for additional lights to ensure the safety of any pedestrians.
Other safety issues included loose stones on the bridge to the Bank of Kentucky Center, as well as curbs in the parking lot of the Math Education and Psychology Building that have been torn up and moved around by snow plows.
Mravec addressed opportunities to beautify campus, specifically in regard to Loch Norse.
Mravec said that student government would like to see more foliage around the lake.
“We would like to make Loch Norse one of the main areas to where people actually want to go there and hang out or take pictures. That’ll be NKU’s niche, that will be what everybody knows about at NKU,” Mravec said.
In addition to beautification opportunities, ideas for increased branding were also discussed. Senators saw a need for more NKU banners along walkways, specifically the path from the residential village to main campus.
While previous campus safety walks focused primarily on safety issues, this semester’s Norse Walk also emphasized student involvement in improving campus.
Mravec said that students can get involved with improving campus by posting photos using the hashtag #nkunorsewalk or by posting concerns to the SGA Facebook page.
“The office is always open, so if anybody ever sees anything that needs to be changed they can always come into the office. We try to be like an open book,” Mravec said.
