The Equinox, Keene State Student Newspaper
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Pan across a small liberal arts college. The sun is shining, the bells are ringing and students are walking to their classes. Dramatic music, as the soft sound of an engine slowly comes into ear shot. Cut to a drone flying over Keene State College, recording everything that is happening. This really occurred, and we have some serious questions as to why most students and faculty were not notified in advance.
For two days, the drone flew above students, staff and visitors. For two days, nearly the entire campus was unaware. No new notifications appeared in our mail-cruiser accounts, no announcements were displayed on the college website, nor was Campus Safety aware that footage was being taken above us.
This is a memo we wish we would have received because without knowledge, rumor takes control.
Director of Campus Safety, Amanda Warman, stated she did not know that footage would be taken high above campus until it was already happening. Displeased staff and students vocalized they would have liked a heads-up from the department of Marketing and Communications at KSC.
However, the communication was not there. What alarmed students was confusion surrounding what a drone is and what it is capable of.
The surveillance taken from the drone was reportedly used by the college’s marketing division for future college videos, which is something we have no problem with.
KSC has a beautiful campus, so film away. We remain uneasy that the director and staff members of Campus Safety had no idea a drone had circled campus.
When it comes to the filming of students and faculty by a device flown by a human operator, we believe it is imperative to give reasonable prior notice.
The department of Marketing and Communications excused the short notice of the drone to take advantage of good weather opportunities. Had they informed the KSC community, they could have potentially weathered the storm of negative feedback that was to come. And thus, we would have welcomed the drone. However, they did not do this and created apprehension.
Intended or not, the very word “drone” takes us onto the slippery slope where The U.S. Constitution and it’s Fourth Amendment come into conflict.
The Fourth Amendment provides, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated…”
We felt we were blindly violated by this quick decision to capture footage without a warning.
We find it peculiar that the money and time spent using this drone was made known to few.
Human lives could have been in danger. What if a mechanism had failed? Serious injury could have taken place to a crowd that was unaware of what was flying above them.
To us, this is not just a privacy issue.
This is a safety issue. One of the first tiers of safety is to be forearmed with knowledge. How can we be forearmed without forewarning? Next time, an e-mail would be appreciated.
