To ensure student safety, along with safety for their vehicles, Student Association Senate approved the installation of a new surveillance camera in the Thatcher South parking lot.
According to Briana Collins, SA senator and sophomore accounting major, the new weatherproof Panasonic surveillance camera will include night surveillance and provide footage clear enough to capture license plates. Including installation, the camera will cost $3,000.
The placement of the camera, according to Collins, will be determined by Campus Safety in order to ensure maximum coverage. Campus Safety is also set to review footage obtained from the Thatcher South camera. This will be the first camera for either Thatcher or Thatcher South parking lots. According to the Senate minutes, Talge already has a surveillance camera.
“We hope that the surveillance camera will provide a level of security for the vehicles of the students and as well as security for the women commuting at night,” Collins said.
The seeds for this project were planted in October 2019 when current junior accounting major and SA Senator Erla Trevadan found her car had been hit while parked in the main Thatcher South parking lot.
“There was nothing I could do about it because I didn’t know who had hit it,” Trevadan said.
It took months for the person who hit Trevadan’s car to find Trevadan and pay for the damages. These are the situations Trevadan hopes to prevent with the new surveillance camera.
SA has yet to discuss the new camera with Director for Residence Life Lisa Hall and does not have a current date for installation. Still, Trevadan and her team are working to install the camera as soon as possible.
“I’m so happy and excited because I feel like I’m actually a part of making positive changes on campus,” Trevadan said.