ISU alumni and students have a new way to experience campus from the Campanile to the Fountain of Four Seasons. That’s the hope of Roger Ferris, operations manager of the Memorial Union, who helped get the new Webcam installed. “It’s great. I love it,” Ferris said. “I’m looking at it right now.” A new Webcam was placed Aug. 22 on the Memorial Union’s roof and has been shooting live views of the ISU campus over the Internet. The Webcam, which is similar in size to a surveillance camera, was bought for $1,381. It has a built-in computer plus a heater and defroster to survive the cold conditions of Iowa winters. After a review of several different Webcam angles to find the best view of Iowa State, the camera was programmed to take pictures once an hour. “The best shot features four main campus sites: the Fountain of Four Seasons, the Campanile, and the tip of Beardshear from the roof of the Memorial Union,” Ferris said. Diana Pounds, community manager for University Relations, said she has received positive feedback about the cam. “The people who like the Webcam are mostly parents and alumni,” she said. “Parents write that they like to see what the weather is where their kids are at.” Once the campus shots were decided, the camera was secured on the roof of the Union and an ethernet connection was installed. While the cost of installation on the roof of the Union was $1,850, the monthly cost for the Internet connection is only $7. “I’m excited that alumni and people all over the world can see Iowa State live right now,” Ferris said. This isn’t the first Webcam to be overlooking Iowa State. A similar camera was installed during the spring of 1997 on top of Durham’s roof as a temporary location. “We wanted it at the Memorial Union,” Pounds said. “But the fountain was getting fixed.” The location of the new Webcam seems to be popular with viewers. Last year’s Webcam averaged 6,500 hits per month. For the month of August, the new Webcam had around 34,000 hits. Pounds said complimentary e-mails are always in her mailbox. In one of Pounds’ e-mails an alumnus said he enjoyed the live shots of the campus since he doesn’t get back to Iowa very often and looking at the pictures reminds him of the “good old days”. With the increasing popularity of the Webcam, both Pounds and Ferris said they are looking for future possibilities. “As cameras become less expensive, we could put up several around campus. Then people would have different views and could be mobile,” Pounds said. “We could show things like the Veishea parade.” Check out the view from the roof of the Memorial Union at www.iastate.edu.