Someone's got their eye on you.
Campus webcams set up by the Office of Communications and Marketing have more than 800,000 hits in the past year and have given viewers a new way to look at Auburn's campus.
"It's been kind of interesting over the last few years to interact with people through these," said Mike Clardy, director of University communications. "We had a girl whose mother was in Afghanistan and it was her mother's birthday. She told her mom to tune into the webcam at a certain time and went out there with a sign saying 'Happy Birthday, Mom.'"
The webcams have been used for romantic ventures as well, such as when one student used the Samford Hall camera to propose to his girlfriend.
Sarah Phillips, recent Auburn graduate and media specialist at the University, said she understands why people are so interested in the webcams.
"More often than not, people know that Auburn's campus is beautiful and like to see it for themselves," Phillips said.
Though students are usually only a quick jog away from places like Samford Hall and Cater Lawn, the webcams can still provide unique views of campus.
One month there was an especially interesting view from the Thach Hall camera, said Brock Parker, multimedia specialist for the OCM.
"The theatre department did an origami art project, and I think it was up there at least over a month," Parker said. "They were origami birds, and they made a big, interlocking 'AU.'"
Phillips said she used the cameras during the time she was a student, especially to see how busy campus was and what the weather was like before she went out. The camera she liked best was the one at Samford Hall.
"You can always look at the Samford Lawn one and see people playing football," Phillips said. "You can see people having picnics or hanging in their hammocks. That's probably my favorite one."
Students aren't the only ones who use the cameras, and Parker said there are plenty of Auburn parents and alumni who like to check and see what's happening on campus.
Many of these people tuned into the Hargis Hall camera the day of the National Championship football game.
"The night of the championship game, back in January, we had more than 27,000 hits on that camera, what with everybody wanting to see the rolling of the trees and everything," Parker said. "That was definitely the biggest night for that cam."
With football season here again, Parker said he expects even more people to use the webcams.
Another reason Parker thinks people will tune in is because of the weddings that will now be taking place on Samford Lawn.
"I think one thing people will really get a kick out of is that we've started allowing people to get married on Samford Lawn," Parker said. "So if you take a Saturday and tune into the Sam Cam, you may be able to see someone getting married out there."
Clardy said the cameras were installed about four years ago, and both he and Parker were pleasantly surprised by the number of people who have been using them.
"It's neat for people to make these kinds of connections to each other," Clardy said. "As a backdrop for Auburn University, it's pretty special."
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