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Collegedale, Tennessee
April 1, 2026
Campus Webcams livestream Bietz patio
Omaris Mercado studying on the Bietz patio, being viewed through the Campus Webcam website. (Photo by Kyla Wetmore).
Kyla Wetmore Reporter As spring thaws out Southern’s campus, many students studying or hanging out with friends at the outdoor patio between the Bietz Center for Student Life and McKee Library are unaware that anyone with an internet connection could be quietly watching. This view of campus life is publicly available on the Campus Webcams page of Southern’s website. It features live webcams at two sites on campus: a blurry view at the center of campus and a clearer view showing the side of Bietz, including its patio, parking lots and part of the Thatcher dormitory. The webcams can be controlled by one online user at a time, who can pan, tilt and zoom in and out. During an interview with the Accent, one student experimented with the cameras and found that they could zoom in close enough to see the person she was talking to on FaceTime on her phone. Janell Hullquist, director of Marketing and University Relations (MUR), stat-
ed in an email to the Accent that the webcams have been available for many years, with the current system replacing older cameras in 2016. The camera facing Bietz used to face the Promenade but was shifted to view the Bietz’ construction, according to Hullquist. She explained that the university placed the webcams with the goal of providing a live view of campus life and intentionally positioned them to show public areas instead of private spaces. “They offer prospective students and families, alumni and friends of the university an authentic sense of our campus environment, seasonal conditions and daily atmosphere—especially for those who are unable to visit in person,” Hullquist stated, adding later that she is unaware of any reference to the cameras in the campus policies or student handbook. Hullquist further explained that the webcams are among several visual engagement tools, such as campus tours, photography and videography, and can help people check current weather and campus conditions. The pan, tilt and
zoom capabilities were an intentional feature to encourage engagement. According to Hullquist, MUR has not received any notable feedback about the cameras since their installation. Nationally, Southern is not the only university to feature public livestreams of its campus for alumni, parents and prospective students. According to a 2014 article by College Today, the news site for the College of Charleston in South Carolina, the campus featured eight webcams, which were first installed in 2007. Today, the school only features two live YouTube videos of the campus skylines. Another article published in 2007 by the Reveille, Louisiana State University’s student media outlet, critically described four cameras that captured students on campus. It stated that screenshots of women visiting the library were posted on a message board, which reinforced the author’s privacy concerns. Now, its only live public camera shows the university’s live tiger mascot on the LiveBeaches.com website. According to an article by the Cam-
pus Times, the student paper for the University of Rochester, the campus webcams trend of the 1990s and early 2000s is fading. While the popularity of these webcams may be one reason for their demise, some students have also spoken out against the cameras due to safety and privacy concerns. In November 2022, students from Indiana University of Pennsylvania spoke out against a livestreaming camera on their campus, citing the potential misuse of the cameras in stalking scenarios, according to the Penn, the university’s student newspaper. While many of the students involved in its Student Governance Alliance had never heard of the camera, the livestream gained 56,000 views. Because of the public nature of the livestream, students felt that the cameras should be removed. Today, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania does not provide a publicly available webcam on its website. The Accent sent an email about the webcams to Shawn Haas, associate See Webcam on page 3
“The ability to zoom in and change directions seems like [it brings] the unwanted potential for misuse.” - Shawn Haas