Collegiate Times

An online summary of the recommendations resulting from Gov. Tim Kaine's state review panel and Virginia Tech's three internal review boards has officially been released.

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Though many of the suggestions have been presented on numerous occasions prior to their being published on University President Charles Steger's Web site, the online breakdown provides more fine points of the security changes.

The rundown of implemented recommendations by initiative is dissected into 33 categories, ranging from the establishment of a threat assessment team to upgrades in the locking hardware on the exterior doors of campus buildings.

Ed Spencer, Tech's associate vice president for Student Affairs, said that the university's Policy Group has been reviewing the recommendations since the reports from the internal review panels and the governors review panel were completed in August 2007.

The Policy Group is an assembly composed of vice presidents, vice provosts and others who, along with the president, make critical policy decisions in times of urgent need. Though the Policy Group had the final say on many of the recommendations, specific suggestions must be further approved by the university's Board of Visitors.

The Board of Visitors will vote on changes made to the interim suspension policy when it next convenes in June 2008. Spencer said that this section of the proposal is mainly for clarification, not change.

"We are submitting a revised policy that cleans up the language and makes it a little more understandable and readable," Spencer said. "Because it's part of the university policy for student life, it has to be approved by the Board of Visitors."

Though the summary generally focuses on changes that have already been made, or have been approved to take place in the future, the recommendation for a campus surveillance system remains under review.

"Extensive use of surveillance cameras is incongruent with the university's culture. However, the new director of Emergency Management will be charged with exploring use of surveillance cameras on a very limited basis in specific areas including but not limited to areas with blue code phones," the report states.

Spencer said that this decision deferral came as a result of the policy group's determination that the matter needed to undergo further research.

"On one end of the continuum you have no surveillance cameras anywhere, and then on the other you have them everywhere," Spencer said. "The interest is in not having the 'big brother is watching everywhere' atmosphere."

If the university were to heed the advice of its recommenders and implement a closed circuit video camera system, it would have to hire more workers to monitor the stimuli coming in.

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