Chancellor Philip Dubois has allocated $250,000 to address the needs identified by the Student Government Association in its 2006 Campus "Safe Walk" report, with a goal of enhancing UNC Charlotte campus security for students, faculty, staff and visitors.

The $250,000 allocation is in addition to $313,000 for security enhancements Dubois approved last year. Additional funding for this year could be released once university officials have completed the evaluation of the 2006 report, Dubois said.

The list of items that resulted from the most recent "Safe Walk" conducted by students and administrative staff last November included improvements such as new emergency lights and phones to improved pedestrian and street lighting.

The highest priority was given to items relating to personal security, including:

~ Installation of new emergency lights and phones, also called blue lights. These phone connect directly and instantly to the Campus Police and allow for immediate response to an emergency situation. When contacted by these phones, police officers can be anywhere on campus in a matter of minutes. Approximately 200 of these phones are already installed on campus.

~ New pedestrian and street lighting across campus in areas of reduced visibility. This will reduce the potential for students, faculty or staff to have to cross or be trapped in areas of low visibility at night.

The SGA sponsors the annual walk every fall, when student leaders, administrators and staff tour the campus to identify security issues and concerns. Key recommendations from the 2006 "Safe Walk" revolved around lighting, emergency lights and sidewalk and path repair and replacement.

Many of the needs cited by the SGA on the 2006 list have been addressed in the course of normal maintenance activities.