Do you feel safer?

As much as I love New York City, sometimes it’s nice to get away. The past two weeks my family has spent a lot of time in the mid-west and in particular on the campus of Northwestern University and Columbia University in Chicago. With several younger family members entering college in the next year or two, we had a combined family re-union/tour of Chicago universities and really had a great time. It is amazing to see just how much has changed since I attended college.

When I went to school, most of the people that I knew seemed to major in alcohol consumption. While I am sure that that still goes on, the people that we met were focused and dedicated and seemed much more mature than my contemporaries. The really extensive array of classes on offer was very impressive.

But what struck me the most was the almost Orwellian way that Universities monitor the activities of students, professors and staff. I could certainly see the useful applications of maintaining computerized grades, coursework requirements, and even directories. But I was surprised to find that Universities have extensive “security” divisions that monitor people through CCTV (Close Circuit Television), entry badges, and even server usage. Essentially, the Universities monitor every time you enter and leave a parking garage, dorm, meal hall, and library. They monitor and record your purchases, phone usage, web sites visited, web posts, and even emails. I can certainly see the usefulness of this information from the University’s point of view, but it seems to me that people are giving up a tremendous amount of their freedoms for the idea of security.

This is in no way a blasting of Universities. Everyone was extremely helpful and we were so impressed with the campuses and all that they had to offer. But finding out just how much of this generation’s lives are monitored, recorded, and stored away in a databank was scary.

Being both an author and a book junky, we just had to stop into the local Barnes and Noble to see how it would compare to the New York City staple. We were really pleased with not only the warm welcome and the familiar ambiance, but with the staff who happily explained their purchasing procedures, how stock is monitored and ordered, and even how special orders are processed. I would certainly recommend a trip to Barnes and Noble anywhere, but the one at 1441 West Webster Avenue in Chicago was full of stars.

While I was surprised at just how much information is maintained on students, the fact is we are all under constant surveillance. Every time that we make a purchase, go into a store, or place on order, our photo, credit card details and name is recorded. Every time we check out a library book, send an email, make a web post, or make a phone call; it is all monitored and maintained. I know that the idea behind this is to simplify the lives of consumers and companies alike and to provide security and safety. But the amount of surveillance that goes on is really surprising and sobering. I know that all of the monitoring makes life easier, but does all of the monitoring make you feel safer?

ps. thanks to Iris and Maureen for emailing us about the typo. It's been corrected, thanks for reading our little blog!