Placing excessive restrictions on the use of drones on the Syracuse University campus would be hypocritical for an institution that is simultaneously funding the development of unmanned aircraft technology.

While there is not yet an official policy regarding drone use at SU, rules are currently being drafted by the Office of the University of General Counsel and the policy will likely include a ban on the recreational use of drones in addition to imposing heavy guidelines on related academic research.

Yet SU reported $70,000 in total lobbying activity for the third quarter of 2014, which included efforts specific to SU’s drone research. The university also applied to receive Center of Excellence distinction by the Federal Aviation Administration for drone systems the same year.

To backtrack on this progress and impose unnecessary restrictions on drones would be detrimental to a learning institution that should promote innovative research on transformative technologies, particularly those with multidisciplinary value and are projected to play a major role in shaping the future.

Rather than hinder ability to work with the technology, SU should work to expand on it. But it’s not possible for the university community to remain ahead of the curve when the prospective restrictions are simply not feasible for the average college student to navigate.

DPS Chief Law Enforcement Officer Tony Callisto said SU’s policy is likely to require students and faculty members using drones for research and academic purposes to have been granted an exemption by the Federal Aviation Administration in addition to having liability insurance for their drone.

Callisto added that the individual would need to notify the State University of New York Upstate Medical University prior to flying the drone, in order to not interfere with air traffic associated with Upstate’s helipad. The student or faculty member would then have to provide SU’s Risk Management with the purpose and specific time frame behind the drone’s use.

Rather than constrain drone use with these rules, SU should work to ensure the technology remains accessible to students and faculty, for both recreational and academic purposes. This could be accomplished with the creation of an on-campus “drone loan” program which would require participants to pass a training session and find a spotting partner, mirroring a system once in place at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. 

Although safety concerns have been raised in regard to drone use in densely populated areas, like college campuses, SU could put forth supportive measures by considering “no-fly zones” on university property to compliment its drone program as a constructive compromise.

The fact of the matter is that drones should continue to be welcomed on the SU campus, in and outside of the classroom, as they have been in the past.

Although universities across the country are moving to ban drones from their campuses, Syracuse University should differentiate itself as a leader that embraces emerging technologies and places emphasis on innovation rather than apprehension.

Published on January 21, 2016 at 2:40 am

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