Have you ever wanted to know what the weather on campus was like before leaving the house? Or wished you could see how busy Red Square was before passing through? If so, the Red Square webcam could be the perfect solution for you.
The camera, which is set up and live-streamed by Western Washington University, provides 24-hour coverage of one of the campus’ busiest areas. Originally set up in the ‘90s, the camera lived in an office within Western’s Information Technology department.
Dr. John Farquhar, the director of academic technology and user services at Western, was in charge of finding the camera a home when Western’s IT staff first set it up.
“We considered a few locations including Bond, Miller and Wilson buildings,” Farquhar said. “A location in Bond Hall was eventually agreed upon because an office with a good view of Red Square was vacant at the time.”
The Red Square webcam in Bond Hall at Western Washington University is pictured in Bellingham, Wash. on Monday, Oct. 30, 2024. The camera, which is encased in a black wooden box, provides 24-hour coverage of on-campus happenings. // Photo by Aidan Hadley
Sara Helms, the manager of Western’s linguistics department, is the camera’s current roommate.
“I’m assuming it’s here because we have a great view of Fisher Fountain and Red Square activity,” Helms said. “Most of the time I forget it’s even there.”
The Red Square webcam is pictured from inside Sara Helms’ office in the linguistics department in Bond Hall at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash. on Monday, Oct. 30, 2024. The camera predates Western’s linguistics department, which moved from a program to a department in 2019. // Photo by Aidan Hadley
Helms is right; there has been plenty of thought behind the webcam placement. Placed on the top floor of Bond Hall, the camera gets a birds-eye view of Red Square and is encased in a black box to minimize any glare. The camera, which receives maintenance every few months, can be accessed remotely by Web Communication Technologies at Western.
Max Bronsema, the director of Web Technologies, thinks the camera has cemented itself as an important part of Western history.
“The reason it exists as far as I know is to simply give people a view of what is going on,” Bronsema said. “I think it is just an iconic part of Western.”
Western’s current camera, which is an Axis model M1065-L, replaced another Axis camera that did not support HTTPS. While the camera supports storage, it has none. It purely serves to broadcast images in real time, recording nothing. When the camera refreshes, which is a few times per second, the next image is displayed and the previous is gone.
However, Western is not the only school to employ webcams. Oregon State University has almost 30 webcams available for online viewing. But unlike Western, OSU has a distinct purpose for its cameras.
“The majority of them have come about because of some sort of construction project on campus,” said Chris White, director of student affairs IT at OSU. “But some have come about because it's an interesting place to see on campus – we set one up for marketing purposes.”
While Western’s camera lacks a specific use, plenty of good things still come of it. Carly Roberts, a Western alumna who graduated in 2015, credits the camera for countless happy memories.
“I was the first in my family to go to college, and my mom worried a lot,” Roberts said. “I used to call her on my way to class and stop in Red Square so she could look up the livestream on her computer at work and see me waving at her.”
Western’s camera may be reaching the end of its lifespan in the coming years, according to Bronsema.
“When the current camera reaches the end of support, which I believe is three years from now, we will evaluate if it is still something the university wants to continue to provide,” said Bronsema.
Interested viewers can tune in to the livestream here.
Aidan Hadley (he/him) is a campus life reporter for The Front this quarter. He is a third-year student at WWU studying news/editorial journalism. Outside of reporting, Aidan enjoys baking, eating good food and finding a new TV show to watch. You can reach him at aidanh.thefront@gmail.com.
