Matt Holmes
by Lauren Norton
staff writer
Have you ever had the feeling you were being watched? The women residing in Grace Hall do.
Those passing through the building may have noticed the cameras mounted in the various stairwells. There are six motion-detected cameras located atop all the doorways. The cameras are on 24 hours a day to allow Public Safety to monitor the visitors coming and going. “The purpose is to make sure no one is letting in guests through doors other than the front door,” Charles Schaffner, director of Public Safety, said.
“The cameras are not found in any of the hallways, just the stairwells,” Schaffner said. Public Safety feels that the cameras are not an invasion of privacy, just another way to protect the students from unwanted visitors. However, the residents have a different opinion. “The cameras are a complete invasion. I don’t know of any other school that does this,” Ashley Allphin, a first-year student said.
The staff members located in Grace Hall are happy about the new use of security. “I feel safer knowing that Public Safety is watching who is coming in and out of the building,” Kristie Conway-Beucler, assistant director of cooperate education and career services, said.
Cameras will also be installed in Xavier Hall during reconstruction in the summer. The new dorm will be equipped with them too. Again, the purpose will be to monitor unsigned-in guests.
However, a new system of cameras will be found soon in Founder’s Hall. “The difference between these cameras and the ones in the dorms is that they will be used to regulate vandalism of property,” Schaffner said.
So, think before you act because you never know who may be watching you.
