Why Emergency Blue Phones are Important
Bluefield’s campus may be smaller than most colleges, but we should not undermine the safety of the students on our campus.
As a college student, I have visited many other campuses, some much, much larger than Bluefield – although we know that is an easy feat. They all feature similar facilities as our small school, such as your basic buildings for the cafeteria, student recreational center, classrooms, and more. However, there is one feature that is absent here at Bluefield but exists on every other campus: emergency blue phones.
It may seem silly, but why do we need them? Also known as blue boxes or blue phones, emergency blue phones are highly noticeable due to their high stature and the bright, blue light they emit. Even if you have never used them before, they act as a security beacon to the students who are out on campus at night.
Like every other person our age, I know that most of us typically have our cell phones within reach in our back pocket. But what happens if you end up in a situation where you need help, only to find that your phone is dead? Or what if you don’t have service, something that is highly possible in areas on our campus? What if you just can’t get to your cell phone in time because you’re frozen in fear? Or, what if the person you come across was someone you thought you could trust?
What do you do then? Anything could happen in under a minute. The walks on campus may seem quick, especially to those who live in the dorms. However, the walk to the apartments can seem more daring. There are areas on campus that aren’t thoroughly lit – the walk from the ACE or the hill next to the Dome are great examples.
Yes, I get it, getting these blue boxes could be costly, but they create the safety net for our students. The towers create that sense of authority and have proved to act as a deterrent to criminal actions and eliminating anxiety. There should be no cost on trying to keep our campus safe.
So, Bluefield College, as much as I love the campus, we really need to consider what could happen; no school is perfect. A simple e-mail to the students claiming how our climate isn’t to par simply isn’t enough. Take the action to bring higher safety to our campus.