Rachel Chapman doesn’t always feel safe on the Kansas University campus.

“I don’t like going on campus at night by myself,” the Beloit senior said. “It depends a lot on where you’re going. On main campus, it’s well-lit. But on the edges, I get scared.”

Students such as Chapman may feel safer this fall, knowing an extra set of eyes will be on them.

The KU Public Safety Office has decided to install security cameras in campus parking lots. The first cameras will be installed later this semester in lots surrounding the Daisy Hill residence halls and Gertrude Sellards Pearson and Corbin residence halls. Additional cameras in other lots are likely to follow.

“These cameras are in color now, and they’re not just blurry faces anymore,” said Chris Kerry, assistant director of the Public Safety Office. “The technology has come quite a long way.”

Kerry declined to disclose how much he expected the system to cost, saying he didn’t want to affect an ongoing bid process through the state purchasing department. But he said it would be tens of thousands of dollars.

Some students living in KU residence halls stressed the need for better security after two incidents last school year. In October 2003, a female Ellsworth Hall resident was held at knifepoint by an attacker while walking to her car in the Lied Center parking lot. She was able to get away.

In the other incident, in February, a man waved a knife and threatened a female student in the GSP/Corbin parking garage. She was not injured.

Kerry said a university employee would monitor images from the cameras 24 hours a day.

“Our first priority is to the people and secondarily to the property that’s in the parking lots,” he said. “The university’s already done a lot with the lighting so people feel better with lit parking lots.”

6News video: Drivers in KU parking lots will have extra security

He said various campus entities — including parking services and the Memorial Unions, which already use some form of video surveillance — may form a consortium so one employee could monitor images from all the systems to maximize efficiency.

Donna Hultine, director of parking services, said she favored KU entities pooling their resources.

“To me, it makes sense to go together,” she said. “I’m not a security expert, and it’s a big responsibility to be the one watching those cameras.”

Staff writer Jennifer Byrd contributed information to this report.