The University of Michigan Senate Assembly met in the Alexander G. Ruthven Building Monday afternoon to continue discussions of campus security and surveillance with Interim President Domenico Grasso.
Derek Peterson, chair of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, opened the meeting with updates regarding University Library services and an initiative to increase access to open-access publishers like Elsevier. Peterson said he is working with Lisa Carter, University dean of libraries, to address school-specific issues.
“I had a meeting with the dean of the library, Lisa Carter,” Peterson said. “The library dean is very keen to come and talk with us about open-access publishing as a strategy for getting science and engineering publishing out from under the thumb of Elsevier publishers, which monopolizes knowledge production across the disciplines in a way that’s deeply injurious to academic freedom and to the self-interest of our institution.”
Grasso then gave a presentation on the state of University safety followed by an open discussion period for faculty questions. As part of his update to the Senate Assembly, Grasso said the University’s Audit Services will be conducting an audit of the Office of the President to ensure it is representing and upholding University values.
“In terms of leading the University as well, we adopted values, principles and responsibilities for the executive officers, which has been a long time coming, but we moved that through as quickly as we could after I arrived,” Grasso said. “In the 70 years that the Audit (Services) office has been in place, we’ve never done an audit of the president’s office. We just launched an audit of the president’s office, and it’s due out in January.”
Grasso later addressed on-campus safety and security cameras following the shooting at Brown University. Grasso said he believes cameras on campus are necessary to prevent similar incidents from occurring and assured cameras are not being used to surveil students.
“The tragic events of Saturday at Brown are an indication of why we want to make sure that, if anything even came close to happening like that here, we (will) be prepared to respond much more quickly and effectively,” Grasso said. “I know that the term ‘surveillance’ has been used. These are absolutely not surveillance cameras. We are not surveilling anybody.” ”
The Senate Assembly then asked Grasso about on-campus surveillance. Assembly member Charlotte Karem Albrecht said she believes the rise in cameras is a direct response to U-M student protests, referencing recent Office of Student Conflict Resolution disciplinary proceedings, which include formal conduct complaints against 11 Pro-Palestine student protesters relating to four demonstrations.
“What I’m struggling with is that the increase of security mechanisms rose in direct response to student protest(s) on campus,” Karem Albrecht said. “How do you think about these things together, and what are you doing to sort of address the damage that’s been done and is continuing to be done, especially with these OSCR disciplinary proceedings that continue against students for engaging in protests?”
Grasso said those facing disciplinary action were not being punished for protesting, but for violations of other aspects of the disciplinary process.
“I have to say that I am appreciative, respect(ing) and proud of the activism that’s occurred on this campus over the decades that this campus has been here,” Grasso said. “It is part of who we are, and I in no way want to impede peaceful protests. … I want to be clear here that nobody is in the process because they were protesting. They crossed other lines that were part of our disciplinary process, and that’s what’s being adjudicated.”
Assembly member Craig Smith said he believes the University’s statements regarding the disciplinary proceedings of student protesters are inaccurate. Smith said, based on his personal experience with protests, he believed the way OSCR’s investigation was conducted is discreditable.
“Unless you were there, I don’t take your word for what you’re saying,” Smith said. “I was there, and a bunch of us were there, and we know something different than what you’re saying, and it feels very frustrating (to) have these lies repeated about students.”
The University recently updated their security policy with Standard Practice Guide 510.02, eliminating previous requirements for a student and faculty oversight committee to review security policy standards and for surveillance footage to be deleted after 30 days. When the Senate Assembly discussed the SPG policy update andPeterson said Grasso’s footage deletion claims are not mandated by the current policy.
“The new SPG makes no such limit on the use of covert technology,” Peterson said. “Under the older SPG, audio recording was out of bounds. Under the new SPG, it’s perfectly allowed. Under the old SPG, recorded images were supposed to be destroyed after 30 days. The new policy makes no mention of the duration of the retention of recordings.”
Law School professor Mike Steinberg, former legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, said the increased use of security cameras in Detroit, as part of Project Green Light, has not reduced violent crime rates in the city, according to a study.
“Almost all the studies say it is not effective in deterring violent crime,” Steinberg said. “There was one recently done in Detroit, about Project Green Light … It was pretty comprehensive and said there was no difference. It was ineffective at deterring crime, even with respect to apprehending the perpetrator … there is some benefit — marginal benefit, I think — in deterring property crimes and things like that, but not violent crimes.”
Daily News Editor Sarah Palushi can be reached at sarpal@umich.edu.
