Flashing Lights

   Wittenberg University has many quirks that make the campus and college unique. One such oddity would be the erratic street lamps that light the sidewalks around the university's grounds. Every Wittenberg student, at least once in their college career, has been walking past a street light on campus and had that particular light extinguish itself, plunging the traveler into darkness. The question in the back of these students' heads is, "Why on earth is this happening?"
    There are several theories that students have invented to explain this phenomenon. One such supposition is that Wittenberg has become the home of Albus Dumbledore. The infamous headmaster is said to be residing in the Hogwarts-like Ferncliff Hall and apparently enjoys roaming Witt's campus with his deluminator, quietly snuffing out the street lamps for secrecy.
    Another theory is that the university has incorporated our motto into the very architecture of campus. Since "Having light we pass it on to others" has been a very fundamental theme in all that Wittenberg embodies and stands for, it stands to reason there is a possibility that the Board of Directors decided to take this concept very literally. Some students believe that the reason the lamps go off right when they pass by is because the street lanterns are passing their light onto the traveling students.
     Other less common theories include that since Wittenberg is in trouble financially, the lights around campus are short circuiting and, with the budget cuts, the university does not have enough funding to fix them. There's another theory that the flashing on and off is old Ezra Keller's ghost winking at students. Additionally, some students believe it's the ghosts from the cemetery next door.
      Although these theories all have some merit, there is an official explanation for the lighting spasms. A couple of years ago, through Wittenberg's Sustainability Task Force, Physical Plant was able to install light retrofits in several of the outdoor lights on campus and in some of the buildings as well. One of the goals of the light retrofits is to conserve energy and, thus, the street lamps are on timers that occasionally trigger on and off all around campus. In this way, some energy can be conserved on a sporadic/casual level.
     Regardless of the official explanation of the fickle lights, the other theories from students have not been debunked yet. So whenever those lights shut off on you as you pass by, give a slight nod to good old Ezra Keller in the shadows or salute Dumbledore the best you can. And above all, never forget to pass that friendly light on to others.