The senior lot was newly paved and fixed last summer, but unfortunately, these renovations could not prevent the increasing number of car incidents that happen there. In a packed parking lot brimming with inexperienced drivers, there are bound to be countless mishaps; the prevailing issue amongst these is that several people have had their cars scratched or dented and the offenders have not come forward to take responsibility and pay for their actions.

Many students have been the victims of ignorant, reckless damage to their cars. Most of these accidents, however, are rather minor. “I think it’s inconsiderate for people to not be careful when parking and driving around the lot….honestly, it’s immature at this point to scratch the whole front side of someone’s car and not say anything to them,” says Leanna Grau (’19). Grau’s car got scratched in the senior lot and no one came forward.

Several other students, including Evan Hecht (’19), were in the same situation. Hecht did not notice the scratch on his car until his parents pointed it out to and blamed him for it. Although the scratch was small, he was still upset. “I’m lucky that my scratch was minor, but it’s really annoying that whoever did it didn’t say anything,” Hecht said about the situation.

Because of the rise in the frequency of these problems, the school administration is considering installing cameras in the senior lot, believing that such a move will force people to be held accountable for their actions. Although cameras may seem like a prime solution, Tenafly students hold varying opinions on the proposal.

Some are highly opposed to it, Grau included. She thinks that the installation of cameras is “unnecessary,” and that the problem is solely based on the fact that people aren’t willing to speak up. “I don’t need to be watched every time I go out to my car or go out for lunch, but I do need people to grow up and speak up,” Grau (’19) said. This opinion seems to be shared by the majority of students who don’t want their privacy breached. Guy Maslaton (’19) added that the installation of cameras will be “unnecessary and unsettling.” However, if the solution to this conflict depends on students taking the incentive themselves to speak, this begs the question: why would they? Cameras may seem creepy upon first review, but other options to solve the issue are limited as of now.

Other students, like Hecht, are indifferent to the installation of cameras. However, he is unsure of how “useful” they will actually be. In fact, the majority of students think that the administration putting up cameras will not help anything, instead just serving as a waste of money. Most students believe the answer to this issue is simple: perhaps an announcement stating that drivers need to come forward if they make a mistake causing damage to someone else’s car and that anyone who does cause damage and does not come forward will suffer major consequences.  

Students feel that the cameras will be too much of a breach of privacy; after all, they would be constantly watched. They believe that the issue shouldn’t be taken to a point where cameras are necessary. Either way, the problem is prevalent in the student community and should be taken care of in some way.

Read Evan Hecht’s, Serenity Cray’s, and Laura Lee’s forthcoming story on the potential installation of cameras to get the administration’s side of the issue.