By Samantha Chen, Staff Writer
Did you know that you are being watched everywhere on campus? During quarantine, cameras were installed around campus, which can track where you go. Administration did have these cameras before COVID for security purposes and recently installed more cameras during COVID and distance learning to have a broader coverage of the campus.
Some things that are helpful with the cameras is that the campus is more secure, if something is stolen they are able to track who took it and get back whatever was taken. For example, when someone stole something from the bathroom as a part of the devious lick trend, they were able to track down who did it using the cameras. In case you don’t know what the devious lick trend is, it is a trend on Tik-Tok where students show off whatever they stole from their school. Some common items were soap dispensers, sinks, urinals and many other items. Also, if something goes wrong on campus, they can track down the source of the problem and fix it. Other things that the cameras are good for is keeping track of who comes in and goes out of the school to track any suspicious activity.
Though there may be many good things with the camera system, it feels like an invasion of privacy. Now, everything we do is being watched though it doesn’t violate any laws. Some students may feel that they are doing something wrong that the administration is trying to watch them when in fact they are not. This also doesn’t solve some problems as students who want to mess around and partake in suspicious activity may just try to find someplace where the cameras don’t catch them and do whatever activity they may do in places that are unmonitored. Also, it may start to feel like school is no longer a safe place since some may feel that since they installed the cameras there is something wrong or unsafe about the environment of school. On the other hand, school may feel safer for other students because there are cameras constantly watching them and making sure nothing bad happens. They may feel a sense of security as in, “if someone does something bad to me, I have some proof on tape that they did it and it isn’t just their word against mine.
Overall, the camera system has some pros and cons to them. The upgrade in cameras helps make students feel more comfortable and protected and makes some students feel like they are not trusted. Though some students may not find it helpful, it has helped solve some problems around campus.
