The Residence Hall Association voted Thursday to send a resolution that would regulate the use of cameras and video recording devices in residence halls back to committee.
If passed, the resolution would have recommended to the Office of Housing and Residence Life a policy disallowing still photography and video recording in residence hall common areas without hall director or resident assistant permission.
Housing and Residence Life policy defines common areas as any spaces or areas outside student rooms, including areas such as stairwells, hallways and lounges.
Former RHA Issues and Facilities Chair Adam Roberts said there is currently no policy in the Housing and Residence Life handbook concerning camera use. He said steps need to be taken to protect students' rights.
"It is important because it is an issue of privacy, and people misusing cameras has started to become a problem," Roberts said.
Roberts said there have been specific instances of students using cameras and recording devices in improper ways. In one case, he said, someone walked down a hallway sticking a camera inside students' doors. In another situation, one roommate set up a camera to record another roommate without that student's knowledge. However, no complaints have been filed because there is no policy against it, he said.
"If it is a big issue, there needs to be a policy in place," Roberts said.
The resolution contains an exception that would allow photography and recording for class projects and residence hall programs without needing permission. It would also allow students to use the devices inside their rooms as long as they have permission from those being photographed or recorded.
"If you wanted to take your friend's pictures, it would be just as easy to step inside your room and take one," Roberts said.
Concerned RHA representatives raised questions over the necessity of such a policy and the difficulty in enforcing it. Some questioned how hall directors or RAs would be able to determine whether a student was actually taking pictures or video for a class.
"My hall did not like (the resolution)," Botsford Hall Representative Stacy Ploskonka said. "It was just too broad."
Ploskonka was the representative who originally moved to table the resolution.
"Some of the RAs were upset," she said. "They didn't know how they would be able to regulate it."
Other representatives said they saw problems with students having to pause every time they want to take pictures in order to get permission. Supporters of the resolution, led by Roberts, said it is necessary to protect students.
"We're in no way limiting anyone's freedom to use cameras and video recording devices," Roberts said. "We're interested in keeping people from misusing them."
Roberts also said that there hadn't been much consideration toward how the policy would deal with students taking photographs or video recordings for media, but he said under this resolution they would probably also have to receive permission from a hall director or RA.
The policy now goes back to the Issues and Facilities committee to be revised. The committee will take the views it heard Thursday and opinions it receives in the next two weeks into consideration when it revises the resolution. In two weeks the resolution will be revisited.
RHA is attempting to pass a revised resolution and take it to the Office of Housing and Residence Life quickly so that a policy can appear in the Fall 2004 handbook if it is approved.
In other proceedings, nominations closed for the open Issues and Facilities chair, vacated by Roberts. Dylan Jolly was the only one nominated, and he will run unopposed for the position. The election will take place next week.442-¼-¼+â-ª-¬K+â-â3+â-ïbM+â-£+â-¦"...Y+â-¦X^b--+âlls]+â-¦1K+â-ÿ+â-ÇZK-¼...+âc$I"[+â-ÇKL+â-è+â-â+â-¡-¦r}+â-¦-¬-»p~':F?D-¦+â-»+â-â*v5+â-£...?+â-Ü+â-+B?-¿+â-¡+âr+â-£*+â-¼af!f>+â-ïY&--a1+â-âR+â-¬+â-óc+â-¦+â-¬Y-úb+â-¡&+â-»afS+â-ÿ3+â-ª+â-â-¬+â-â+â-¦cWv--M+â-ü+â-¦+â-ÅV"vF5UeQ]S™-+â-ì"<4.+â-£%-+
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