One of the most iconic places on Quincy University’s campus leaves some fear in students, and that is Penny Lane, the path that has each club, organization, and sports team paint their mark for the school year and make it a landmark that everyone knows about. During rainy weather, the pathway is more than just a minor inconvenience; it poses a genuine safety risk to students, faculty, and visitors. Addressing the hazardous nature of Penny Lane should be a priority for the university administration to ensure the well-being of all who use the campus.

“Painting Penny Lane is always one of my favorite things to do each year, it allows us student-athletes to show off our creative side outside our sport,” Nolan May said.

Penny Lane is a key route for students who traverse campus daily, connecting academic buildings, residence halls, and common areas. It’s one of the most used walkways, but it is also one of the most treacherous. Rain, snow, and ice transform the path into a slippery hazard, making it easy for students to lose their footing. For those who are rushing between classes or trying to navigate it at dawn or dusk, the risk of an accidental fall increases significantly.

“Walking to practice early in the morning when it’s dewey or it rained overnight is always not a fun journey, it’s often cold so you want to walk as fast as you can but never on Penny Lane,” Zack Kopsea said. 

The primary cause of Penny Lane’s slickness lies in its type of paint. The current paint does not appear to be weatherproof. As the year goes along the paint begins to chip, but with that, you’d think that it would have better conditions by just having concrete underneath. The school paints over the sidewalk each year with a layer of gray paint instead of sandblasting it off.

“Walking on it is scary by itself but I fear for the students who ride scooters and skateboards during those type of days,” Keaton Weaver said.

Not only is the paint the problem but, the paths drainage system is not built to handle heavy rain or melting snow, leaving a good amount of water, which freezes during the winter months, turning Penny Lane into an ice rink. A lack of regular maintenance, such as salting or clearing the path during snowy or icy conditions, doesn’t help the problem due to the layers of paint underneath.

Ultimately, the problem of Penny Lane is not just about making campus life more convenient; it is about ensuring everyone’s safety and accessibility of Quincy University’s environment. By investing in weatherproof paint, the surface would immediately become safer. Ensuring that students can navigate campus safely, even in poor weather, should be a top priority. Unless substantial improvements are implemented, Penny Lane will continue to be a widely recognized danger, tarnishing the otherwise enjoyable experience of life at Quincy University.