College campuses around the country are equipped with emergency buttons for students who feel endangered, and Ball State boasts it has 18 blue lights scattered in nearly every corner of campus.
However, Gene Burton, director of public safety, said there might not be a need for any more blue lights on campus since they are normally pushed for real emergencies about once per year.
"Usually when we receive an emergency call from one of the blue lights, it is a student playing a prank on us," he said.
The blue lights connect a signal straight to the University Police Department, where an officer is directed to the scene after the emergency button is pushed.
Burton said many of the blue lights were added to campus in the past few years because the Student Government Association thought Ball State needed them.
"The blue lights give me a sense of security," freshman nursing major Sydney Wharton said. "I would be very upset if they were removed because of people taking them for granted."
After the emergency button is pushed, UPD has no way of identifying if it is a real emergency or not, so they must respond to every call, Burton said.
Burton said pranks waste the use of manpower and distracts the officers from potentially helping someone else that could be in need.
Freshman telecommunications major Lauren Rich said she pressed the button on Halloween night.
"There were two boys fighting, and I didn't know what else I could do to stop them," she said.
Burton said violence between students is one legitimate reason for the blue lights to be pushed.
"We will randomly get a call of someone reporting an act of violence," he said. "We also get people just asking about information even though pressing the button without a real emergency is illegal."
Freshman telecommunications and journalism major Paige Miller said she is appalled by her peers using the safety system as a joke.
"I find that really immature," she said. "These are here for our protection not for fun."
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