Elevator Security Cameras at Hoboken University Prompt Debate

Security cameras — including in dormitory elevators — throughout the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, are prompting debate with some students expressing privacy concerns, student newspaper The Stute reports. The university’s Office of Residential and Dining Services said the reason for installing the cameras in dormitory elevators is to deter vandalism or other criminal activities, citing recent incidents such as one involving a passenger removing overhead lighting from an elevator. Allowing live monitoring or recording, the cameras are the responsibility of campus police or an approved vendor. University policy states the cameras may only be in outside areas or elevator cars, and that they must be positioned so they do not have a view into windows or private areas such as “private offices, spaces dedicated to health and counseling services, residence hall rooms, hallways, locker rooms and bathrooms.”