The General Student Council of the University of Puerto Rico’s (UPR) Río Piedras Campus today thundered against the ordinance that allows the installation of security cameras on the university campus.
According to Luz Clemente, president of the student body, the scheme was approved by the board of directors without going through the melting pot of the university administration of the academic institution. Likewise, the student leader rejected that it is a scheme approved in 2015 and that upon reaching the UPR board of directors, provisions banning the filming of these cameras in areas such as hallways, lobbies and student offices were dropped.
“The student organization has been quite clear since 2015 that we don’t want cameras on the Campus for any purpose because of the suspicion and expectation that these recordings will at some point be used to politically prosecute students and teachers.”Said the student after holding a picket in front of the facilities of the university institution where they were also against granting a professor position to the president of the UPR, Jorge Haddock.
Clemente claimed that the approval of the document was not the usual procedure for adopting a regulation. He explained that the discussion of the regulations originated in the Academic Senate of the Campus – in this case the Río Piedras campus -, then on the evaluation of the Executive Board and, if approved by this body, to the JG .
On top of the fact that the process was rather vague, what was approved in JG is not what was approved in the Academic Senate in 2015. It got some changes and the ban on cameras in hallways, lobbies and classrooms was eliminated. [Además], the language surrounding the multisectoral committee that would handle the filming of these cameras was changed a bit and a ban on using these cameras to assess the productivity of non-teaching workers was eliminated, ” said the student, who also he indicated that the JG should have informed the Academic Senate that it would evaluate the scheme.
Clemente also said they met with the Campus rector, Luis Ferrao, and that he supported the adoption of the regulation by the JG and stated that the document is “legal”.
Clemente, for his part, noted that they had contacted the JG’s student representative, Alondra Díaz, requesting that the document be returned to the Academic Senate of the Rio Piedras campus. He also indicated that the Council would oppose the entry into force of the regulation in writing. He said that according to the procedure at the JG, they have until February 15 to oppose the regulation.
He also denounced that the installation of these cameras is taking place at a time when the university is facing a budget crisis and budget cuts proposed by the Fiscal Control Board (JCF). And although he indicated that the cameras were purchased in 2015, he notes that it is not known whether the programming of these devices will still work, which may incur additional costs.
This given, Mario Alegre, Campus spokesman and communications director, assured that, after tests conducted a year ago, the cameras have been confirmed to work. However, he acknowledged that they are still evaluating the software compatibility of these cameras. However, he could not say how much it would cost to purchase another program.
Similarly, Alegre responded to complaints from the student sector, claiming that the installation of security cameras “it will be done for the sole purpose of having an additional resource to ensure the physical integrity of all members of the university community, always ensuring the protection of the civil rights and educational mission of the university. The spokesman for the University administration stated that the scheme was approved by the Academic Senate of the campus and ratified by the student community in a referendum.
“ Despite the surveillance that the Campus has, over the years we have faced a significant number of crimes against the person and property (including cultural heritage) in various areas of our university environment, from vandalism and theft in the Casa del Rector and in other structures, even assault, cases of intimidation and – a few years ago – a tragic case of rape, “the spokesman said in written statements.