THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS • FOUNDED 1922 • INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA VOL.
102
I S S UE 2
SEPTEMBER 27, 2023
reflector.uindy.edu
Campus security upgraded UIndy Police Department has a new system of security cameras to provide more safety to campus By Michael Harrington FEATURE EDITOR
The University of Indianapolis Police Department has made updates to improve campus safety, according to an email sent by UIndy Police on Sept. 9. It also said updates include the addition of 23 Flock Security cameras. The email said that the camera system is integrated with other Flock Security cameras around Indianapolis, allowing law enforcement to track suspects and make arrests quicker. Ac c o rd i n g t o U n i ve r s i t y o f Indianapolis Chief of Police and Director of Campus Safety Brandon Pate, the new camera system expands the security coverage on UIndy while creating a secure perimeter around campus. The cameras also help to tag people and vehicles of interest, according to Pate. “The Flock cameras create a digital border around campus,” Pate said. “So the entrances and exits [are where] we monitor vehicles coming in and out. It has been greatly beneficial in that we get instant alerts if a stolen vehicle comes on campus or if a vehicle that's been involved in a crime comes on campus, or if someone who has a warrant were to come on campus.” According to Flock Safety, their camera system utilizes license plate and vehicle recognition technology, real-time alerts and is powered by solar panels.This allows for more streamlined and constant surveillance. Pate said that the new cameras also allow for facial recognition when uploaded on UIndy Police’s data system. “The data system has facial recognition, so we can upload the photo and put an
alert on there that says if this person comes on campus or into a building, it will immediately send a notification to the officers,” Pate said. “Not only are we able to get vehicle notifications, we can get personal notifications as well— people that have trespassed, people that have been involved in commission of a crime and people that we just want to keep an eye on to make sure we know where they are at and that if they are a threat to the campus.” According to Pate, the cameras cover a wider area on campus and are integrated with surveillance cameras within Indianapolis. Pate said the system also allows for an integration with existing systems within Indianapolis, creating a list of suspects. “[The camera system] covers way more than we used to before,” Pate said. “Previously, we used to cover just little spots of parking lots and now we're getting a full encompassing view of everything around campus. So it broadened that surveillance area. It is also an active system versus a passive system. A passive system just watches you drive by or just watches you walk across the lawn. An active system notifies us if you are a person of interest or if that vehicle is from a person of interest.” UIndy students will begin to see a new campus police dog soon, according to UIndy Police Sergeant Blake Benton. Benton said that the dog is a German shepherd named Riley and is being trained in narcotics detection. “[Riley] came from the Pittsboro Police Department where she was fully trained in narcotics detection,” Benton said. “She is a single-purpose dog, meaning she only has one job and that
Photo by Michael Harrington
To the right of the directory is one of the 23 new Flock Security Cameras, this one located on Shelby St. and Greyhound Lane.
job is narcotics detection.” According to Pate, Riley was a gift to the police department from the Pittsboro Police Department. Benton said that students can expect to see Riley working on campus after her training is completed in the next few weeks. “Riley and I are in training right now for at least the next two weeks,” Benton said. “So probably the beginning of October is when [students] can expect
Photo by Michael Harrington
UIndy Police Sergeant Blake Benton and police dog Riley in front of one of UIPD's cars. Riley will specialize in narcotic detection.
to see her on campus. Her and I trained as a team ready to go do anything.” In addition to the new camera system, UIndy students can expect to see several other events put on by the police department, Coffee with a Cop and campus Safety Walks. According to Pate, UIndy Police held a campus safety walk for students on Sept. 26 where students can ask questions or address concerns regarding campus
security. “[The Safety Walk is] where we invite every student that wants to come out,” Pate said. “We will go walk campus and they can point out the areas that they think are safety issues, that need more lighting or that need us to pay attention to more. We have discussions, answer questions about the new cameras that they see and try to bridge that gap so that we can be a stronger community.”
Crowe Hall closed for 2023-24 school year By Hannah Biedess
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Photo by Breanna Emmett
Crowe Hall will remain unoccupied for the 2023-24 academic year. The power and other necessary safety precautions are still on in the case that a student would need to move into Crowe Hall temporarily such as instances of Title IX and COVID-19 related issues.
INSIDE: OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 8 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 5 FEATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ENTERTAINMENT . . . . . . . . . 7
Crowe Hall has been closed for this academic year, according to Associate Dean of Judicial Affairs and Residence Life Rob Williford. He said that Crowe Hall is not fully closed, however it is not operational. With enrollment for living on campus being down, he said, the University of Indianapolis decided to make Crowe Hall non-operational. Williford said that Crowe Hall would be used in cases of emergency like a policy violation, Title IX or for a COVID-19 influx. “Crowe is one of our older buildings,” Williford said. “As you can imagine, with buildings that age, over time, there are several maintenance related concerns or things like that. So, when we were determining which hall would be [closed], Crowe was the one that we determined.” Although Crowe Hall is currently not operational, the lights and the necessary safety processes are still on, Williford said. It is not currently staffed, and will remain this way until there is a need for resident assistants and professional staff. Last academic year, there were renovations done on Cory Bretz Hall. There are no plans to do renovations on Crowe Hall because giving a residence hall a “face lift”is an investment,Williford said. There are a lot of deciding factors that go into doing renovations on residence halls and those decisions fall
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upon the facilities team, Williford said. As it pertains to RAs, Williford said none were hired for Crowe Hall, however, there were more RAs hired in other buildings for the Living Learning Communities. Crowe Hall being closed does not affect students significantly because there is still wiggle room in most of the currently open halls if students need to be moved, he said. “If somebody wants to, or needed to move because of an accommodation request … We still have this space right now and several of the halls to be able to do that,” Williford said. Crowe Hall is still able to be used in emergency situations. Williford said that previously for COVID-19, students have been sent to a nearby hotel in order to isolate themselves. Now, students can request to move into Crowe Hall for an interim period. He said that it would also be used if a student needed to move for Title IX or other policy violations. There is hope that Crowe Hall will reopen at some point, Williford said. There could be an influx of transfers at the semester or commuters who do not want to commute, he said. For the 2024 fall semester, he said that he is hopeful that enrollment will be at a place where they can reopen Crowe Hall. “[The] most important thing is that we want to give people a safe and comfortable living space,”Williford said. “And if that's not possible with any of our halls, we would like to take a serious look at that so that we don't give people a negative experience.”
MEAL PLAN OPINION One writer shares their thoughts regarding UIndy’s new policies regarding meal plans and swipes. See what they have to say on Page 2.
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