A student carries pepper spray as she walks briskly to her car after her night class. After daylight saving time came to an end this weekend, students and faculty are thinking about their safety.

“I am taking a night class from 7 to 10 (p.m.),” Morgan Bryant, 20, criminal justice major, said. “So I try to park as close as I can.”

Since it will be darker earlier, there are a lot of safety precautions students can utilize.

“I always recommend that students should have a buddy. Walk out with some other of your classmates,” Cynthia Bahti, communication studies lecturer, said. “I think there is safety in numbers.”

Parking closer to campus is another common safety tip.

“I park in the faculty lot, because after 6 (p.m.), students can park there,” Christina Gan, 19, business management major, said.

There are personal defense trainings on campus, such as physical education lecturer Bill Hood’s workshop that took place last week.

“My favorite training is the one offered by the EC police department,” Janet Madden, English professor, said.

The trainings offered by the EC police department offer students safety advice, such as carrying a whistle and not wearing headphones.

Although there is still an ongoing need for safety precautions, EC at night has gotten safer in recent years.

“I feel safe,” Madden said. “I think the campus is a lot better lighted than it used to be. There is a lot more awareness.”

However, there is more congested traffic when daylight saving time ends.

“I think the issues for students when the clocks change over (is) people don’t know how to drive in the dark,” Bahti said. “They forgot.”

Taking classes at night appears to be a safer alternative to taking classes in the morning, Bahti said. There are fewer students taking early morning classes than classes in the evening.

“I used to teach a 6 a.m. class and that was a little more scary,” Bahti said. “There wasn’t anybody on campus except for the custodian and maybe some campus security.”

Sometimes classes are only offered at night, forcing students to take them. However, sometimes students take night classes to accommodate their work schedules.

“I truly enjoy the night students,” Madden said. “It’s a different group of students. Often a little older. Often highly motivated.”