The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Senate Operations Committee convened with Penn State Police last night to clarify the university's policy regarding surveillance cameras.

USG East Halls Sen. Matt Ritsko and Pollock/Nittany Sen. Alex Ibrahim conducted a survey two weeks ago to gauge student knowledge and opinion of the 129 surveillance cameras that monitor campus.

According to the 159 usable surveys, results showed that about 50 percent of students knew about the cameras and 98 percent believed that students should be publicly informed about their existence. About 80 percent responded that students should have an active role in overseeing a camera policy.

The senators will consider student responses when writing legislation that would address the role of student input as to where cameras are placed. Ibrahim said it should be written within the next two weeks.

Ritsko and Ibrahim invited Don Reed, Penn State Police security systems specialist, and Bruce Kline, assistant director for Penn State Police Services, to sit in on their meeting last night.

The Operations Committee asked questions to better understand SY33, the university policy established in October 2003, which states that there is a security systems committee monitored by university police that reviews electronic campus security concerns, including surveillance systems.

Senators also asked about AD53, a policy taken up by the University Faculty Senate in 2003 that requires the consent of an employee or student if audio or video recordings are made of a classroom or lab space.

Responding to a question asking if there were standards as to where cameras can and can't go, Kline said that because of AD53, there are very specific guidelines as to where cameras cannot be put.

He said that cameras are generally placed in hallways of buildings. He added that they could be placed in the elevators or lobbies of residence halls in response to crime at the request of Residence Life. "These cameras aren't permanent and are guided by Fourth Amendment restrictions," Kline said.

He added that the upper floor areas of residence halls and locker rooms are part of protected areas, but there could be cameras placed in these areas, as well, only in response to "serious crimes like murder or rape."

Ritsko said he would like to know explicitly how film is used and if there could possibly be student input.

"The film is kept at least 72 hours. I don't see much need beyond two weeks," Kline said, adding that the film is reviewed if there is criminal activity.

Reed said the amount of time the film is kept depends on a number of things, mainly how much motion is detected because they are motion-sensitive cameras.

"It depends on resolution, recorders, how much motion and how many cameras there are on a system," Reed said.

Kline said that as the chair to the committee established by SY33, he would not object to considering student input at some point.

USG President Galen Foulke said last week that he thought student input should be considered and that there should be a place where students could go to find out where the cameras are.

"I'd like to see what the Senate thinks. They are the ones doing all of the research," he said.