Video policy requires privacy
Central Michigan University officials say there is not a campus ban on video recording.
Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe said the university has a policy against videotaping individuals without their permission in certain instances.
"People have the right to be free as they go about their business," he said. "When I think about people going about their business, I think of classes, offices, places of residences."
However, students and faculty do not have the same expectations of privacy when walking around outside of university buildings, Roscoe said.
The issue of videorecording came to light earlier this week, after Roscoe handed a letter to Topinabee junior Dennis Lennox II on Monday, asking him to stop recording students and faculty without their consent.
Lennox said he had no idea about CMU's policy on recording.
"I've never heard of it being enforced before," he said.
Roscoe said it is important for students and faculty to know they will not be recorded without their consent while going about their business.
However, Lennox said most students do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the hallways of public buildings such as CMU's academic buildings.
Roscoe disagrees.
"Our academic buildings are restricted for use for academic purposes," he said.
Roscoe said some issues involving recording on campus still need to be clarified.
"At this time, we really have not addressed the issue of the right to record open sessions," he said.
Roscoe said the immediate concern in issuing the letter to Lennox was students and faculty members' rights to privacy.
Lennox said he lodged a complaint against the university with the American Civil Liberties Union early Thursday morning. A spokesman for the Michigan chapter of the ACLU did not return phone calls Thursday.
"We believe CMU is violating the First Amendment rights," Lennox said. "We're prepared to take any and all legal remedies available,"
Director of Media Relations Steve Smith said claims of a recording ban at CMU are highly exaggerated.
"Some are trying to paint this as a total ban, that is not the case," he said.
Smith said the case would be handled by Barb Taylor, interim affirmative action officer.
"Affirmative Action is called in places involving the workplace," Smith said.
Meanwhile, Lennox said he is asking CMU to launch an independent investigation into the incident between himself and Pam Gates, interim dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences. University President Michael Rao denied Lennox's request to launch an independent investigation, Lennox said
"We asked for the state police to be brought in," Lennox said.
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