There is no such thing as being too safe. MSU students who walk around campus late at night need programs like StateWalk to ensure they arrive at their destinations safely. Students and staff need to come together to promote the program so MSU can continue to be a safe place after dark.

StateWalk, a program put on by the Residence Halls Association, is a free service for students walking around campus after dark.

The service has locations in Brody Complex, the Main Library and McDonel Hall, and operates between the hours of 7 p.m. and 1 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays.

The program, which was taken over by RHA in 1991, is run by MSU faculty, students, staff members and anyone else who wants to volunteer.

But the program may come to an end because of infrequent use by students. During fall 2000, there were only 55 walks given from StateWalk’s three offices.

The average cost of a single walk was $115.56 because of expenses for volunteer incentives, payroll, food, advertising and office improvements.

Most students have friends, significant others or neighbors they can call on if they are going somewhere late at night.

But this is not the case for all people. What about those students who are a bit shy and tend to roam the campus alone? Should their safety be put in jeopardy?

Students should know one of the best ways to protect themselves on campus is to avoid walking alone at night. Those who walk alone may be putting themselves in harm’s way, but they may also be unaware of programs like StateWalk.

The program is a good idea , but most people don’t know what StateWalk is. Many students don’t know they are eligible to receive $1,000 in scholarship money just for volunteering at StateWalk.

RHA and the MSU community should make an effort to publicize the program so students know StateWalk is out there. This involves more than mentioning the program during the first week of class.

This means posting signs around residence halls, the library and anywhere else the program could be publicized.