According to a recent e-mail to students from WSC president Marysz Rames, drones may not be operated on campus without previous written approval.

Drones are expected to be a popular holiday gift, so this is a preemptive warning. Anyone wishing to use a drone on campus must contact vice president and dean of students Jeff Carstens at (402) 375-7213.

“I think the whole purpose of the communication is to be proactive. To watch out for the safety of students and faculty,” Rames said.

Rames mentioned incidents that have happened at other colleges, including the University of Kentucky.

According to ESPN, after a college football game, a drone crashed into the newly renovated Commonwealth Stadium. The drone was hovering over the scoreboard in the west end zone near heliports and a hospital.

Luckily, no one was injured during the drone crash in Kentucky but there was property damage. School officials as well as the police have talked to the student that was using the drone to figure out what steps to take with this incident, which occurred a few weeks ago.
Wayne State College does not have the proper insurance to cover any drone accidents, so this was cause for concern.

According to the president’s email, “to insure compliance with all FAA and FCC requirements and to obtain the proper insurance, faculty and staff may not operate a personally owned drone on campus. Furthermore college drones are not to be operated on or off campus without prior approval.”

The e-mail to students also mentions how drones may be hazardous to the safety of students, faculty, staff and general public.

Drones must have written approval, or the illegal use of drones will prove a code violation and may involve disciplinary action and a warning will be issued.
“If someone were to use a drone, it would be somewhere safe where insurance is covered and proper protocol is followed. It probably would be somewhere other than the middle of campus,” Rames said.