Case closed (circuit): In our February 8, 1999 issue, we wrote about how the emergence of four closed-circuit television cameras in Camosun College’s Lansdowne campus was cause for concern. Although I’m not sure why, because, as writer L. Vanderbijl pointed out, there were already 13 cameras in operation at Lansdowne. Camosun manager of College Safety at the time Carter MacDonald insisted that the cameras were being used for safety purposes, like preventing theft and assault. However, it seems like the majority of students felt it infringed on their privacy—during an informational poll, 61 percent voted against the cameras. Nowadays, I just assume I’m being recorded in some capacity most of the time.
“Back in my day”: In a situation that most current Camosun students couldn’t imagine, Nexus writer Christopher Wright welcomed a new project that aimed to cut down on wait times for students registering for classes and loan applications. Apparently, in 1999, students had to wake up early, make their way down to either campus, and wait in a lineup outside to register for classes and deal with loans for the upcoming semester. This seems unreal, considering that for this term I set a 9 am alarm, clicked “register all,” and then promptly went back to bed.
Camosun evicts nice raccoon family: A family of raccoons who had made Lansdowne their home were scheduled to be removed from campus on February 4, 1999. The grounds crew bravely attempted to capture the ambidextrous beasts, but were mostly unsuccessful as they were only able to get a single baby racoon. The racoon family had lived on campus for five years; the reason for their forceful eviction was because they were eating garbage and attracting rats, to which I say: rock on. Camosun, not understanding the punk lifestyle, opted to move them 80 miles (which you know today as 128 kilometres) away, leading me to believe that the racoons did something much more serious than eat a few pieces of garbage and party with rats.