Appalled -- that is the only word that fits. I was absolutely appalled to see the total disregard for and lack of attention to the supposed constituents of the State College Borough Council members during the recent proceedings in reference to the Beaver Canyon camera installation.

Not only were students and residents comments quickly dismissed as apparently meaningless, but also at one point a female council member shook her head in the middle of a resident's statement. That crosses the line from ignorance to being downright boorish, and these are the people that are elected to represent us, as students, within the borough in which a majority of us live.

The issue is clear; it needs little discussion: It is a blatant infringement upon the rights to privacy of the residents of this particular area of State College.

It is not a preventative measure; fundamentally, it cannot be. It is instead one whose only power lies in its ability to assist prosecution, and as far as just power, that's where it ends.

What is to prevent these unflinching eyes from recording actions totally unrelated to the events for which it is designed to aid in prosecution, starting a dangerous ball down the slippery slope toward a paranoid police state?

I accept Bill Welch's challenge and am willing to run for Borough Council in the next election, not because of any political goal, but because we need at least one youthful voice amidst those of the over-50 governing body.