Campus Council tabled a controversial resolution concerning on-campus safety and sexual assault at its meeting Thursday night, hoping to give students another week to express their opinions on the issue.
The resolution calls for the installation of cameras at the entrance to every residence hall, DukeCard access to dormitory bathrooms and a reevaluation of the procedures by which students are tried for sexual assault. The measure also asks for a new SafeWalks system which would function as a SAFE Rides-style service for pedestrians; better lighting around residence halls and the perimeter of Central Campus; and more self-defense physical education courses.
The possibility of cameras--which would not be monitored under the proposal, but rather whose footage would be examined if an incident were to occur--stirred the most debate among the council members and three other residents who attended the meeting.
"I, and others, really do object to cameras outside the residence halls," said Campus Council President Andrew Nurkin, a senior. "We need to weigh the risks [of such a move]."
Nurkin's sentiments were backed by Duke University Union President Jesse Panuccio and Executive Secretary Jonathan Bigelow--two of the non-council members in attendance.
"Cameras are an invasion of privacy and they have proven to not be a deterrent," said Panuccio, a senior. He added that he was concerned that the student body had not been made aware of the possibility of such a resolution and urged the council members to communicate the issues better with their constituents, most of whom, he predicted, would not support such a measure.
Most council members, however, said they supported the measure.
"This will help the victims and bring the assailants to justice," said junior Mark Pike. He noted that even if the majority of students are opposed to cameras, it is Campus Council's responsibility to protect the interests of those in the minority, as he said it did last year when it passed a resolution calling for a residential smoking ban. Pike is also a staff writer for Recess, The Chronicle's arts and entertainment weekly.
Sophomore Jake Flomenberg, another council member, said that although he was in favor of the cameras, he was worried about possible abuse by the administration.
"They don't have to listen to us," he said. "They could continue to monitor them for all sorts of things.... [During parties,] half of my quad is going to be in legal trouble if that [is] the case."
Deb LoBiondo, assistant dean of residential life and housing services, said the cameras that were installed this semester on a trial basis at Randolph Dormitory on East Campus are not monitored and others also would not be. She said that since the October reported sexual assault of a female student in a Wannamaker Dormitory bathroom, the majority of those attending safety forums have called for cameras.
The council, however, still thought more input from the community was needed. Nurkin encouraged students to contact their quad councils and campus council representatives to express their opinions on the matter.
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