Walking alone at night on campus can be an unnerving experience, and after speaking with several students and Campus Police, hot spots for activity and ‘sketchiness’ have been identified.

The top factor in determining a location’s sketchiness was the amount of lighting, according to students such as Chris Touchberry, a sophomore in technology, engineering and design education.

Touchberry mentioned a few different locations that he does not feel are exceptionally safe.

“The brick line behind the Tri-Towers is sketchy, but it just got better because light poles were recently installed,” Touchberry said. “Also, walking down Stinson at night, toward the Free Expression Tunnel, can be a bit sketchy and scary because there’s no lighting. I have to walk my girlfriend back from Riddick every night because she gets scared.”

Amy Lawrence, a sophomore in chemical engineering, said she does not like the dim lighting around the pedestrian tunnels that let out by Reynolds Coliseum.

“I was walking at night once with a friend by the tunnel by SAS,” Lawrence said, “and we saw a creepy looking guy walking around for no reason and we got freaked out. It was really dark and we couldn’t tell what he was doing.”

Campus Police crime prevention officer Amy Wilson highlighted some areas that see more criminal activity than others.

“There is a lot of larceny around the library area,” Wilson said. “We get a lot of calls in that area.”

Kris Gower, a junior in business administration and international studies, does not think the Wolfline system to and from D.H. Hill Library is safe.

“I really dislike that the Wolfline bus stop for the library is so poorly lit and so far away from the library,” Gower said. “When studying at night, I have to walk all the way across the Brickyard, around Harrelson, and then wait for five minutes or so at the bus stop alone for the bus to come. The lighting is awful and it’s in a terrible deserted location after 10 p.m. or so — not safe at all in my opinion.”

Alyssa Van Kolem, a freshman in psychology, said she dislikes walking back from D.H. Hill Library through the Brickyard.

“It’s not well lit at all, and it freaks me out to walk around the bubble because when it’s dark and there is no one around, I feel like someone is going to jump out at me,” Kolem said.

Aside from the library, Wilson also said that parking lots can be a problem area.

“Parking lots—Wolf Village in particular—has a lot of breaking and entering into vehicles,” Wilson said. “GPS, laptops or anything [thieves] see in open view. Wolf Village is so close to Gorman Street, so that may be an issue.”

Chester Miller Jr., the Wolf Village Apartments associate director, also said the location may play a role in the number of crimes there.

“Wolf Village is on the perimeter of campus,” Miller said, “with access on Western Boulevard and other streets, so suspects and perpetrators have access to the parking lot.”

Miller encourages students to be proactive and report any suspicious behavior to the Campus Police. Suspicious behavior includes slow-driving cars that seem to be looking around the parking lot.

“It is unfortunate that Wolf Village has this problem and it is important that students take the necessary precautions and protect themselves,” Miller said.

Miller said students should lock their doors, roll up their windows and remove their GPS and other such items from plain view, which makes their vehicle more attractive to thieves.

Patrick Sazama, a sophomore in public and interpersonal communication, had his bike stolen from the Resident Storage lot on Centennial Campus last year.

“When I came back the next day, the bike and any remains were gone. So, I reported my bike stolen to Campus Police,” Sazama said.

In the fall of this year, Sazama received a call from Campus Police telling him they had recovered a bike that matched the description of the one that was stolen.

“When I get to their office, they presented me with what was left of my bike — a rusted frame,” Sazama said. “I guess the moral of the story is not to leave anything valuable in a parking lot.”

There are also a lot of drug violations around Wood Residence Hall, according to Wilson, and fights that break out around campus. Fights, though, are sporadic and are not in one particular area.

Kimberly Smith, a sophomore in art applications, called her experiences at Wood Residence Hall “sketchy.”

“There are homeless people in the woods outside of Wood Hall, and they make me a little uncomfortable,” Smith said. “They just chill out there at night. I make my guy friends walk me home because I’m afraid of them.”

The crime map on the Campus Police website allows users to stay informed and updated about criminal activity on campus.

“It is a good tool,” Wilson said, “and an excellent way to pinpoint exact areas of crimes.”

According to the crime map, there were a total of 10 crimes on campus between March 28 and April 3. There were two cases of theft/larceny, three of disturbing the peace, one of fraud, one alcohol/drug violation, one sex crime and two of vandalism.

The majority of the crimes took place at Wolf Village and around Cates Avenue.

Just because a place isn’t “sketchy” doesn’t mean that it’s safe. A student was walking near Thomas Hall at Yarborough Drive last Tuesday night when she was sexually assaulted.

According to the campus-wide email sent by Campus Police, the victim was able to get away safely.

In 2010, according to the N.C. State Police Department Annual Security Report, there were a total of 448 crimes, with larceny being the highest contributor.