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BY NICOLE KAST

In print | Published November 18, 2004

Five lampposts on Magill Walk have been destroyed since the beginning of the semester, leaving the entire walk near Sharples in darkness.

No one is sure why the posts were targeted or who the culprits are, but their destruction has left Facilities and Public Safety the task of investigation and replacement. The damaged lampposts signal a new wave of vandalism plaguing campus.

In the past, when similar acts of vandalism have been committed, the tops of the lampposts were destroyed, according to Maintenance Supervisor Bill Maguire. This time, however, each lamppost was disconnected from its base and thrown to the ground. Generally, Swarthmore has a couple lampposts vandalized each year, but not usually to this extent or this early.

On Sept. 12, Public Safety officers noticed people, identified as three males, running from a fallen lamppost. The individuals were pursued but not apprehended. However, even that evidence is insubstantial since no one was seen actually taking down a lamppost, Director of Public Safety Owen Redgrave said.

When the lampposts first started being vandalized in September, Facilities was immediately notified and began reinstallation, which has proven difficult. Only one of the five lampposts, which was made of metal, endured the fall and could be reinstalled. The other four were made of fiberglass, and the shock of the fall was more devastating.

“When [the lamppost] hit the ground, the glue broke and the pole itself broke because it was fiberglass,” Maguire said.

Public Safety does not see the darkness as a major safety hazard. “While it is a little unusual that we’ve had this many lampposts down in one particular area, there is still ambient light, and it’s not like total darkness,” Redgrave said. In any case, Public Safety is being particularly diligent in monitoring the area. At present, auxiliary officers are patrolling the area on foot from 9 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. every night, according to Redgrave.

One additional problem is the older style of the lampposts on Magill Walk, a style that is no longer manufactured. Facilities intends to buy new lampposts, probably in the same style as those currently around Parrish and Tarble. But before new lampposts are purchased, the proposal must be approved in the capital budget for next year. The lampposts cost between $4,500 to $5,000 a piece, according to Maguire, who was confident that the proposal would be approved by the Board of Managers.

The decision regarding the purchase of the lampposts will not be made until next year. Since Facilities has only one spare lamppost, until then, one replacement will have to suffice. “The plan is to put one up to have enough light on Magill Walk. We’re going to have it strategically placed so there won’t be a big block of darkness,” said Maguire.

Both Maguire and Redgrave said that the real danger lies in the electrical hazard. When the lampposts are working they have an electrical power of 480 volts, certainly enough energy to severely harm someone when taken down.

Most students feel fairly safe walking on Magill Walk, even without the additional light. “I feel about as safe as anyone can feel when they’re walking late at night in the dark,” Anna Gonzalez ’08 said.

Others were more concerned with the vandalism itself. “I think it’s really stupid, and I wonder why someone would do something like that. It clearly took a lot of effort, which is confusing,” Anand Vaidya ’05 said. “I feel like that kind of thing is kind of uselessly destructive,” Peter Yang ’06 said.

Maguire agreed. “[The lampposts] are there for a purpose. They’re for everyone’s safety: students, faculty and staff, everyone on campus,” he said.

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