Someone may be watching you when you walk through the Martin Luther King Commons.

The Commons has been broadcasted live on the Web since 1999, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“When we first put the camera up, it was pretty cool,” said Don Larson, executive director of enrollment services at the office of registration and records. “Students from other countries would appear in the Commons so that friends and family members could see them from home.”

When Registration and Records moved to Williston Hall from Altgeld Hall during the building’s renovation, the department mounted the color Panasonic camera in the bay window in the office’s new home on the third floor.

The camera is connected not only for online viewers, but for staff working in the technical services division of the media services department in the basement. The offices lack windows, leaving MLK camera footage to clue in staff on the weather conditions of the NIU campus.

“Since I work in an office without windows, I dial up the camera,” said Jim Bollenbach, head of media technical services. “I could look at the weather cam, but I prefer to look at the MLK Commons cam – it’s a prettier view.”

While one cable is connected to a Webcam server to broadcast the footage online, another is connected to a television in the Williston basement.

“It’s our window to the world,” said George “Buzz” Morisette, chief television engineer for media services.

The staff members with access to the camera view think of it as more of an afterthought rather than a major part of their day.

“The time I spend looking at the camera per day could be measured in seconds,” Morisette said.

Don’t count on seeing past footage of events at the Commons – the camera is not capable of recording any of the footage it broadcasts.

“There have been events people wanted to see and we were asked if we had security tape recordings,” Larson said. “We don’t.”

It’s not likely the camera would help aid as evidence to any crimes in the camera either. Larson said University Police have asked for footage only to leave empty-handed.

“I see people on a 20-inch TV,” Morisette said. “I couldn’t tell you if they were men or women.”

Larson said the camera’s novelty for students has waned in recent years due to camera phones, but he still checks it every now and then.

“Every once in a while, when I’m at home, I’ll check the camera to see what’s going on,” Lawson said.

If you would like to see the MLK Webcam in action, visit it on the Web at www.reg.niu.edu/regrec/kingcam.