Davis Library entrance not Coker" needs light

TO THE EDITOR:

Your editorial advocating aesthetically pleasing lighting in Coker Arboretum (Let there be light" Sept. 5) is admirable but a more pressing need for aesthetic lighting that would benefit far more students can be found at the entrance to Davis Library.

Have you ever left Davis after dark?  There is more than adequate lighting for the entire area around Davis and extending into the Pit but those harsh sodium lights give a jarring prison-yard effect. On those cold winter nights, I can't think of a more depressing area on campus than the main entrance to Davis.

Why not install some up-lighting on the locust trees that line the area behind Lenoir Hall and the large oaks in the Pit?

The dramatic interplay of light and shadow on the bare trunks would add a dimension that security lights cannot provide. As it is now we have the appearance of a rape corridor"" behind Lenoir Hall and those cold security lights do not give off a welcoming feeling.

The addition of decorative tree lighting could make an ideal class gift and possibly the surrounding buildings could split the cost of electricity.

Lighting the arboretum is a good idea but it would be more practical to address the Davis area first. If you don't think so" just wait till daylight savings time ends and you are headed to the library on a cold wet evening to cram for midterms. How cheery is that?

F. Marion Redd

UNC Printing Services