The debate about lighting conditions on campus continues, although lighting problems will be taken care of as quickly as possible.

Richard Eike, NIU Physical Plant electrical foreman, said any work orders given to them involving the lights on campus will be taken care of in a day or so after a work order is received.

“Lights are our first priority, we take care of them right away,” Eike said.

He said security must turn in work orders to the physical plant but other people including students and residence hall directors can also turn in work orders for lights.

However, graduate student Michael Maher, 824 S. Second St., DeKalb, said the univerisity’s priorities are something other than lighting conditions and education.

“What are the priorities? The university’s priorities are not education, but sports,” he said.

Maher said the reason for this is because the parking lots for the sports activities are better lit than other student walkways.

“There is a lack of concern for adequate lighting” around the Gabel and Graham Hall area, he said.

“It strikes me as strange that the university professes a concern for lighting and no one is doing anything about it,” Maher said.

The lights by Gabel and Graham Halls have been out since July, he said.

“How do you miss something for six months? Maybe they need walking patrols so they can experience what the students feel,” Maher said.

Eike said he did not know about the broken lights because no one had issued a work order and that he did not know how many lights were broken because he was just told to “check out” the lighting conditions.

However, the lights in that area have been fixed and “there is a standing work order to upgrade the lighting on campus,” Eike said. “Lights are upgraded once a month.”

He said he did not believe additional lights are needed on campus, adding the Physical Plant has just upgraded the lights from west of Gabel Hall to Swen Parson Hall because a student handed in a complaint. He said the lights were changed from 175 watts to 250 watts.

Eike said one half to 1 percent of the work orders they receive are for outside lights on campus.

Forrest Struthers, a Physical Plant employee, said electricians do not work at night and any work required on the lights must be done during the day. Eike said electricians work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Struthers said security guards are supposed to report lights that do not work and they must turn in work orders before lights are fixed.

Eike said there is a manpower shortage that might be hindering any work done on the lights.

Maher said, “You can hardly fault the maintenance men, they are laid off and replaced with paper shufflers who can’t get the job done.”

Physical plant workers were not “laid off,” there are just too many lights breaking, Eike said.