Page 41 - College Planning & Management, June 2017

PLANNING AHEAD
The rapid spread of drone technolo- gy has brought with it both the promise of innovation and many possible risks — especially in conjunction with a large campus space. Some professors have used drones as learning tools; some local police forces have harnessed the technology as a means of observing on-campus activities and events. Along with these beneficial instances are cases of third-party contractors using drones in a dangerous manner while filming ad- vertisements for a college, or students flying them too close to residence halls or other restricted buildings. With the uses of drone technology growing al- most more quickly than governing rules and regulations, the question arises how can a campus become a safe, pro- ductive place for drone use?
As colleges and universities start
to think about this question they must first strike a careful balance, notes Clint Speegle, an associate at Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC in Birmingham, AL. Speegle, a former U.S. Army heli- copter pilot and West Point graduate, has seen firsthand the evolving nature of drones as potential on-campus security tools. The rapid development of the technology has “likely left many universities feeling like they are playing catch-up when it comes to monitoring and regulating the use of drones on campus,” he notes, stressing the im- portance of institutions planning ahead for a wide variety of potential issues.
What are some of these real-world issues? “For one, there is a general concern about student privacy when it comes to using drones on campus,” says Speegle. “Colleges and universi- ties need to plan ahead, and create no-fly areas around dorms, and just think of different situations that could come up before they actually occur.” Privacy is clearly a key issue.
On some campuses, like at the Uni- versity of Arkansas in Fayetteville, drone
use is strictly prohibited without prior authorization from campus authorities. Anyone on campus who is operating
a drone without this authorization is subject to criminal and civil penalties. The policy is careful to note that all use, aside from having prior authorization,
must also adhere to Federal Aviation Administration and state laws.
“Drones and model aircraft can be useful, but are also potentially danger- ous — if they malfunction they could injure anyone on the ground,” says Chief of Police and Director of Public
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