Sitting atop of Foellinger Auditorium’s dome is a newly launched camera that has the ability to view a vast majority of the Quad.

Accessible through a URL, the QuadCam can be used at any time.

If more than one person is using the feature, there is an active time wait period of 30 seconds for each user.

The QuadCam allows users to view the actions of people ahead of them who are using its features, which include 180 degrees of side-to-side and up-and-down movement and a zoom feature.

After production for more than a year, the camera was launched on Nov. 7 with the intention of giving alumni the chance to feel more connected with their alma mater.

Students and alumni alike will have the chance to control the camera’s every motion and can watch all activities on the Quad at all times during the day.

The purpose of the camera is simply for recreational use and does not have any security purposes, said Robin Kaler, University spokeswoman.

Kaler added that the camera’s use is for a laugh.

“It can be used for many different things one can think of,” she said. “You can have people watch you from their computers, or you can watch people do all the many activities on the Quad.”

The launch of the camera was first known to alumni through the University’s online alumni newsletter, said Todd Wilson, coordinator of special projects.

Wilson also said that the camera can now be an online window to what he said is the centerpiece to campus, which alumni, unless they make the trip to campus or live in the area, would not get to see on a regular basis.

To lessen the worry of the right to privacy, the camera being used on top of Foellinger has been altered so it cannot zoom directly into people’s faces.

“There’s no need to try and make out someone’s face because it’s not intended to watch one individual or be a type of security,” Wilson said. “The camera is for enjoyment in getting to see an overview of the Quad.”

Misha Cadet, senior in AHS, said the camera is fun and will be a great way to look back into her memories as a student.

“Once I graduate and start to miss the campus a lot, I’ll have this little feature to look down on where I used to walk as an undergraduate,” she said.

“The best part about it is I will always be connected to the campus and to the school,” Cadet added.

Visit the Quad online via the QuadCam

www.uiuc.edu/goto/quadCam