At least two cameras were recently installed in Rand Hall to combat vandalism in the residence hall.
Rand has been vandalized “almost every other week” since fall semester began, Associate Dean of Students for Residence Life Pamela McDowell wrote in an email. The incidents have cost the College hundreds of dollars in property damage.
The latest: on Christmas, an exit sign was ripped from Rand’s ceiling and Residence Assistants’ doors were vandalized, prompting McDowell to email Rand residents registered to stay on campus over winter break to turn in the perpetrator.
McDowell declined to comment on how many instances of vandalism have occurred since the beginning of fall semester. Public Safety’s crime log lists only three instances.
The Messenger discovered two cameras mounted on Rand’s ceiling at the beginning of Interim — one by the Rand’s west entrance, and the other in between the Rand Piano Lounge and the entrance to Stairwell 5. McDowell declined to comment on when the cameras were installed and how many there are. No new cameras have been installed in other residence halls.
“I don’t want to talk about the specific reason cameras were added to the public areas of Rand,” McDowell wrote. “However, in cases where we have ongoing vandalism towards specific people or St. Olaf property we use cameras as a potential tool to identify the individual(s) so the behavior can stop.”
