Many students do not give a lot of thought to what they are doing when jaywalking across campus. But, there can be some consequences for jaywalking.

Lt. Matthew Kiederlen from the NIU Police Department said jaywalking is not a major crime. The majority of people comply with the crosswalks, he said.

The police department tries to put officers around campus so students will use the crosswalks, Kiederlen said.

Jaywalking fines are not something the police department issues on a normal course of business. As a state statute, a $75 fine would be issued for jaywalking, he added.

“People should be aware of and respect what is going on, but I don’t necessarily see it as a problem on campus,” Kiederlen said.

There has only been one instance that occurred years ago where the police department issued a jaywalking fine, Kiederlen said. It was issued to students who were walking in the middle of the road.

“It received a lot of public outcry,” Kiederlen said. “People didn’t particularly like the statute or policy.”

Sgt. Wes Hoadley of the DeKalb Police Department said jaywalking fines are only issued in rare circumstances and there are normally not a lot of complaints on the issue. However, Hoadley said that if a pedestrian has been drinking and is intoxicated on the roadway, this would be taken care of differently.

Jennifer Crawford, a freshman undecided major, said that she doesn’t think jaywalking is a problem on campus because “everybody does it and it’s kind of accepted.”

Crawford said she does not think fines should be issued for jaywalkers and she tries to use the crosswalks as much as possible.

“I feel bad for the people driving,” Crawford said. “Sometimes, crossing over Anne Glidden can be difficult because it is hard for them to turn.”

Kiederlen said that this year, there have been two instances where pedestrians were struck by cars.

Though he said he does not remember specific details of the event, he remembers the accident occurred on the Stadium and Anne Glidden intersection. Two girls were hit – one was killed and the other seriously injured, he said.

Commuter student Farrah Singh, a freshman chemistry major, said she can see why jaywalking could be considered a problem on campus and how it easily gets overlooked.

Singh said jaywalking is worse by the field house, Village Commons Bookstore intersections and around Barsema Hall.

She said jaywalking fines might be too extreme, but police officers should be aware of what is going on.

“If it is something that becomes a consistent problem in a certain area of campus, they should tell students to use the crosswalks,” Singh said.