“In some areas it’s so pitch black, you can’t even see your own hand,” McLean said.

Students often are concerned about joining the MSU Running Club because of their qualms about running at night, said Christian Heck, president of the club and a telecommunication, information studies and media senior.

Members of the group do not run alone at night. When it is dark they stick to main roads such as Shaw Lane or Grand River Avenue because there is more sufficient lighting, Heck said.

“It’s completely understandable because of safety concerns,” Heck said. “The trails are definitely not as well lit as main roads.”

McLean said the path near Holmes Hall, near the corner of Hagadorn Road and Grand River Avenue, has consistently been dangerously dark for pedestrians.

The area, which connects to trails behind Holmes and McDonel halls, needs a balanced amount of light so that residents can still be able to sleep, said Bob Nestle, a university engineer at the Physical Plant.

“Some people would like to light the campus up like a prison yard,” Nestle said. “This is a park-like atmosphere on campus, especially with people trying to sleep in the residence halls that don’t like it to be daylight out 24 hours a day.”

When streetlights are out, the Physical Plant responds to reports and fixes them as soon as possible, Nestle said.

Nestle said agreements made more than 30 years ago determine if the lights are campus or city property.

Areas outside the boundaries of campus are responded to by the Lansing Board of Water & Light street light maintenance program, said spokesman Mark Nixon.

Because the system is so large, the program relies somewhat on public alerts, Nixon said.

“Runners, bikers and pedestrians should certainly take reasonable and proper precautions at night, which would include making decisions about whether one feels safe on an unlit or improperly lit street,” Nixon said.