Colorado Mesa University once again demonstrated its commitment to fostering a safe and welcoming campus environment during its annual Campus Safety Walk, an event that brings together faculty, staff, students and community partners to identify areas of improvement across campus.
Each year, participants walk through campus after dark, observing lighting, pathways and accessibility to ensure that the physical environment reflects CMU’s dedication to fostering a Human Scale University — a model of the world we want to create. While the university monitors campus conditions daily, this event provides an invaluable opportunity to view campus safety through the eyes of students.
“When students come on our annual Safety Walk, it’s a great opportunity to see from their perspective. What’s important to them, what they feel safe with, what they don’t feel safe with. Then, sharing that information to consider what improvements we can make and what we need to do to increase the overall feeling of safety on campus,” said Director of Campus Safety and Student Conduct Alex Zappe.
This year’s walk highlighted several recent improvements, including the redesigned Wubben Art Walk, which is a new space that serves as a beautiful gathering area during the day and a well-lit, safe corridor at night. The need to improve the Wubben corridor was one safety measure identified during past safety walks, reflecting CMU’s ability to make improvements thanks to student feedback.
Past Safety Walks have also posed the opportunity to improve crosswalk safety, and thanks to collaboration with the City of Grand Junction, such improvements have been made and are continuing to be made. For example, the crosswalks on 12th street have been updated to include audible sounds when pedestrians press a button, signaling they are crossing, adding lights to the medians between lanes, and even a slower speed limit allowing drivers to be more aware.
At the beginning of the school year, CMU, the City of Grand Junction and local safety organizations also collaborate on communications to the community, updating when students are back on campus and when to be more alert when driving near campus.
As campus continues to grow by adding new parking lots and the construction of the Centennial Village Apartments, the annual Safety Walk allows attendees to help provide feedback on ways to improve, including adding lighting and cameras where needed, further contributing to creating a secure campus environment as CMU continues to grow.
The Safety Walk is a collaborative effort that includes Campus Safety officers, the Grand Junction Police Department (GJPD), Educational Access Services, Facilities, the City of Grand Junction, staff, faculty, students and student leaders. Together, these groups ensure that safety remains a shared responsibility across the university community.
“I think, first and foremost, our role is to ensure the safety of the entire campus and make sure that staff and students have a safe environment. We want students to have a good learning experience where they don’t have to worry about certain crimes occurring or an unsafe event occurring on campus. I think a big part of our response too is to be prepared for that unexpected or unfortunate event that could occur at any time,” said GJPD Sergeant Jeff Davis.
As CMU expands, the Safety Walk serves as both a reminder and a reflection of the university’s proactive approach — combining infrastructure improvements, partnerships and student input to ensure that every Maverick feels secure and supported on campus.
For more details about campus safety, crime prevention and emergency procedures, the full Annual 2025 Clery Security/Fire Safety Report is available online for the campus community and the public to view. Reports are available for the main campus, CMU Tech and the Montrose campus and include statistics for the past three years.