On Campus

A university mystery

Mysterious arrows are popping up all over campus. Who is responsible and what is their plan?

Recently, without notice or explanation, pale green arrows began appearing in and around the washrooms on the CBU campus. No one knows what they are for or who put them there. But there they are.

They look as though they would glow in the dark and this detail has given rise to speculation. Some say they are there to point the way out in the event of a power outage, and they do seem to point towards doors (or often, towards the top of the door they are stuck to). But most of our bathrooms are very small. Do people really need glowing arrows to show them how to navigate a 4-by-8-foot room in the dark? In fact, in the pre-arrow era, I myself was caught in the john when the power went out. I managed to escape without flushing myself down the toilet.

Another theory is that they are meant to encourage people to turn off the lights when they leave (a sign saying, “Please turn off the light when you leave” having been deemed too subtle, I guess). This way, any poor souls left in the loo after the eco-conscious light switcher departs, would still be able to save themselves.

And if either of these represent the why, what about who? Is this campaign a random act of environmental kindness? Or a prank? Or is it official policy carried out by university staff? But if the last, why not one word of explanation?

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