Halloween was a safe event thanks to Associated Students, who lent a hand to help the city prepare for the inflation of the population of Wildcat-nation.

A.S. and city workers conducted a voluntary walk-through of the south side of campus last week to identify hazards such as plant overgrowth, burnt-out light fixtures and uneven sidewalks. The goal was to document these high-risk areas and give that information to Lt. George Laver of the Chico Police Department, who will forward the list to the city of Chico’s Public Works Department to have the matters fixed before the wild-weekend festivities commence.

With the help of 30 volunteers, by the end of the night they were able to identify 15 to 20 malfunctioning light fixtures as well as 30 other safety hazards.

J.W. Dobbe, the commissioner of community affairs, and A.S. President Taylor Herren kept their requests in perspective. They realized that matters such as uneven sidewalks and the installation of new light fixtures are unrealistic to have implemented before the 31st. However, matters such as replacing a bulb or cutting back an over grown bush are perfectly obtainable goals that will lead to higher levels of student safety.

Kudos to Dobbe and the rest of the A.S. for keeping our Wildcats safe during these high-risk weekends. I encourage the continuation of this project past Halloween weekend and expanding beyond the south side of campus.

I can hardly keep track of the number of times I’ve tripped over the warped walkways downtown. Admittedly, this may be at least partially because of inebriated evenings, but in no way do I accept all the blame for my missteps. Walking under burnt out light fixtures and dodging protruding tree branches is another frustration because of the high amount of danger they invite and low amount of maintenance they require.

Thank you to all of those who gave their time to address these issues. The city of Chico can’t do it alone. By taking a few hours out of your night, you may have saved a life or prevented a rape or mugging.

Amanda Irons can be reached at [email protected] or @Amanda_Irons on Twitter.