6A • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2002
Zach Straus/Kansan
Security
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Renee Horinek, Topeka junior, works several nights a week in the Hawk Shop at the Kansas Union. The television monitor in the Hawk Shop displays images from nine cameras in the Union. Horinek said Hawk Shop employees should be responsible for the security of the entire building.
for that exact purpose, Bredehoft said. "If they start using them to find out information about people to hurt them, that's not OK," he said.
The University was following other universities in their use of security cameras, said Brad Nachtigal, director of facilities and events with the University of Kansas Athletic Corporation.
"KU is about five years behind on security systems in comparison with other Big 12 schools," said Nachtigal, who worked at the University of Nebraska and the University of Arkansas before coming to KU.
"The technology has expanded tremendously, and the price of cameras has dropped drastically." Mullens said. "The cost of a camera can be much cheaper than hiring personnel."
Students visiting the Kansas Union pass under the gaze of 11 cameras while in the building and the bookstore.
The Union is considering adding more, but it's taking students' privacy into account, said Wayne Pearse, building engineer. "We are being cognizant of the Big Brother issue," he said.
Cameras in the Union monitor the Hawk Shop, the computer lab, and the fourth floor hallways. Because the fourth floor remains open all night as a study area, surveillance cameras ensure the safety of employees and students after hours, said David Mucci, director of the Kansas Union.
Police could use the tapes if someone was ever assaulted or stole computer equipment, Mucci said, though so far there have been no real problems. Although he has seen proposals for adding more cameras, Mucci said the Union may not have funding to do so.
"KU is about five years behind on security systems in comparison with other Big 12 schools."
Brad Nachtigal Director of facilities and events with KU Athletics
Because the union's system is not digital, tapes are recorded over after 24 hours unless something happens. Upgrades to a digital system may come soon, but again, lack of funding may slow the process, Mucci said.
The Union's existing surveillance cameras are clearly marked, which Mucci said
helped students accept the surveillance.
The Hawk Shop's television monitor is the only place to view what the cameras are recording. "We needed a central place to check what was going on in the building." Mucci said.
But Renee Horinek. Hawk Shop employee, said she does not think she and other student workers should be responsible for the security of the building.
"It's not like we can really do anything if something happened," said Horinek, who works from 8 p.m. to midnight several nights a week.
She said she had mixed feelings about the cameras in the hallways of the building.
I can understand cameras in
the computer labs because the equipment is expensive and students pay for it," she said, "but I don't think the cameras in the hallways have any purpose."
Although many may think cameras can deter crime, mixed evidence exists as to whether this is true, Professor Staples said.
One reason people support increased surveillance is a real fear of crime. Staples said. But, the media have also played a role.
"Video cameras are best at documenting disaster," he said. "You see footage on the news of people having their chests blown open in convenience store robberies, but the people are still dead."
"Today we live in a culture in which the bulk of our cultural knowledge about the world
"I can understand cameras in the computer labs because the equipment is expensive and students pay for it,but I don't think the cameras in the hallways have any purpose."
Renee Horinek
Topeka junior
comes from the media," he said. "The media has created an exaggerated sense of fear."
Issues of privacy especially exist when considering surveillance in public places. Staples said.
AT A GLANCE Cameras Around Campus
■ Memorial Stadium ...2
■ Allen Fieldhouse ...5
■ Parking Department ...4
■ Ekdahl Dining Commons ...4
■ Kansas Union ...11
■ Learned from, Engrained in computer labs ...12
■ Carruth O'Leary ...2
The Dole Institute will have security cameras installed next fall.
Spencer Museum of Art officials would not disclose the number of cameras used
"The Constitution suggests that we have the right to move around without being watched and having our faces scanned by face-recognition software." Staples said.
Surveillance cameras also pose more practical worries, he said, such as who has the control over the tapes.
"Somebody might decide arbitrarily down the road that what they have on tape is important or newsworthy," he said. "It could end up on the Internet or on CNN without permission."
The increase of surveillance cameras also concerns Dick Kurtenbach, executive director of the Kansas division of the American Civil Liberties Union.
"It changes what it means to live in a free society," he said. "People worry about the change in character of the country when you have Big Brother watching you."
To balance security with protecting personal liberties, institutions using surveillance cameras should warn people when they are in use, Kurtenbach said.
At Learned Hall, cameras have watched students for more than 15 years. Twelve cameras
SEE SECURITY ON PAGE 7A