Western students might not know that every time they walk through Red Square, they are being recorded and broadcast.
The Viking View, Western's Web camera in Red Square, began as a promotional service to the campus, said John Farquhar, manager of multimedia and Web development in the academic technology department.
The Web cam is most commonly used by parents of students to look at the weather in Bellingham before visiting, Farquhar said.
“Parents are the first people to let us know when it isn't working properly,” Farquhar said.
Farquhar said the purpose of the Web cam is solely to promote the campus and now people can take a look at Western no matter where they are.
Farquhar said the Web cam does not pick up enough detail to make out quality images and therefore is not useful for security purposes.
University police use the Web cam only to confirm or deny information, Sgt. David Garcia said.
If there are reports of people in the fountain, the Web cam is used to corroborate that information, Garcia said.
During rallies and demonstrations in Red Square the Web cam can be used to estimate the number of people involved, he said.
On one occasion, the Web cam recorded some nighttime vandalism in 2002, Farquhar said.
The incident involved a few people spilling buckets of paint across Red Square and the fountain, but no faces were distinguishable from the footage, he said.
Currently, the Web cam is set up in the office of Woodring College professor Susan Mancuso in Miller Hall Room 314.
Mancuso said her office was chosen because it offers an excellent view of both the sculpture and the fountain.
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