As a follow-up to a statement on security issues at Cornell University he distributed Nov. 24, Harold D. Craft Jr., vice president for facilities and campus services, today (Nov. 30, 1998) released a statement regarding lighting and other security concerns on campus.

"Cornell continues to place a high priority on the safety and security of members of the campus community. During the past two weeks, students from the Ujamaa Residential College and the Wari House Cooperative requested in letters approximately 30 changes in campus lighting, some revised Blue Light bus procedures, placement of a specific Blue Light phone and a general increase in the number of Blue Light phones.

"Since the receipt of these letters, both Campus Life and Facilities & Campus Services have sent crews out in the evenings to assess the present lighting situation and make recommendations for improvements that could be accomplished as quickly as possible. Our review showed that about

half of the students' requests could be addressed immediately, largely through replacing bulbs. Other solutions need to await the installation of new lights. To accomplish as much as we could, as quickly as we could, Cornell electricians worked steadily over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

"Of the 37 lighting projects that the students requested, 22 have been completed already; another nine should be complete within the next week. Students should now see a dramatic improvement in campus lighting.

"Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) will install a Blue Light phone in the Rand/Sibley/Lincoln area in the near future to address another recommendation by students.

"CIT and the Cornell Police will shortly be reviewing the placement of Blue Light phones on campus. Susan Murphy, vice president for student and academic services, and I will organize a working group that will include students to make further recommendations for Blue Light phones.

"I forwarded the students' requests regarding the Blue Light buses to Rod Ghearing, the general manager of TCAT. The student issues included the availability of schedules on buses and at certain popular campus locations, lighting in the bus stops, crowding on the buses and the seeming arbitrariness with which drivers sometimes pick up or discharge passengers between bus stops. Mr.

Ghearing has informed us that improved posting of schedules will be completed in the next week or so. We have already improved lighting at the bus stops. Recent increases in bus service seem to have alleviated complaints of overcrowding on the buses. Vice President Murphy and I will meet with Mr. Ghearing and his staff to have further discussions on the issue of picking up passengers between bus stops.

"To repeat my Nov. 24 statement, we urge any member of the Cornell community who is subjected to harassment, or who has knowledge of harassing behavior, to contact the Cornell Police. We have created a hot-line for these reports at 255-1111.

"Thanks to university staff working over the holiday weekend, students returning to campus this week will observe better lighting and experience better bus service. We will continue to make improvements in these areas."