On Wednesday, March 9, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Student Association (SA) met with Bob Hetzel, the vice chancellor for administration and finance, and Scott Schumacher, the planning and construction director, to discuss the plans to implement security cameras across campus.  

The plan included a full budget and schedule with typical camera locations, overall costs, and tentative deadlines for the work. In total, there will be 655 security cameras installed across campus, including upgrades to current camera systems in buildings such as the Whitney Center and Cashier’s Office.  

The security cameras will be installed in resident halls and academic buildings, and the prices for each individual camera range from $1,300 to $2,000, with an additional $75 yearly cost for licensing. “It’s totaling up to be about a million-dollar project,” said Vice-Chancellor Hetzel. 

 In Vice-Chancellor Hetzel’s presentation, it said that the entire project is expected to be completed by May 1, 2023, but it will gradually be completed in phases, and the preparatory work will begin this summer. 

Vice-Chancellor Hetzel later took questions and suggestions from senators, and one senator asked if there were any plans to install cameras around parking lots and in the parking garage. There are no current plans in place, but Vice Chancellor Hetzel said that he will take the input into consideration as they move ahead with the project.  

 “It is not perfect, I will acknowledge that. I think it’s a great start that gets us on the road to improve and have safety for the campus,” said Vice-Chancellor Hetzel.  

SA then hosted another guest speaker Director of Title IX and Compliance, Dany Thompson. “My job is to make sure that the university is doing not only what it is supposed to do legally, the bare minimum, but what it is supposed to be doing ethically,” said Director Thompson. 

Title IX is a federal civil rights law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs. The office of Title IX and Compliance monitors complaints or cases of discrimination, harassment, and gender-based violence and conducts investigations into each complaint. 

SA later passed a resolution appointing Sophia Root to a vacant senate seat for the College of Health and Sciences, and a second resolution was passed to appoint Cassie Ziegler as Green Fund coordinator. SA went on to discuss and pass the third resolution to appoint three Election Commission members and one alternate for the spring election. 

Students from the School of Education (SOE) joined SA again to present a new resolution. SA discussed the resolution and many senators suggested changes to some of the language and certain sections, and many smaller changes were passed during the meeting. One student from the SOE said that this resolution was more “actionable” and the SOE students hope that this will pass. 

There was no vote on this resolution. SA will continue discussions in their next meeting, and an update will follow after a vote has taken place.