In an effort to increase transparency and reconnect with the student body, President John E. Jones has been asked by the Board of Trustees to put in place a “JohnECam” based off the trailblazing work of Dickinson alumna Jennifer Ringley ’97 during her time on campus in the 1990s.
Ringley is most well known as the first ever cam girl (seriously, look it up). She began an internet site called JenniCam in 1996 during her junior year. When she began, she had a webcam that would upload black and white pictures of her Kisner-Woodward dorm room every three minutes.
Board of Trustees member, Hal Pme ’69 asked John E. to install such a camera in his office. “It’s not that we want him to preform the same actions that Ms. Ringley is known for,” Pme said, “we just want students to feel more connected to him and the administration as a whole.”
JohnE said at first he was originally very nervous, but that he now understands the Board’s decision. Students can find the JohnECam through their Dickinson Gateway. The program soft-launched last month.
Students have been very receptive to the JohnECam said Provost Renee Cramer, who went on to say that “although we were apprehensive at first, you can imagine that the legacy of JenniCam is not one the College typically publicizes, but we feel it is important to bridge the gap between administration and the student body, and this felt like the most effective way.”
Mario Mario, an exchange student from Italy, said “We don’t have such a program at my school in Italy… It’s mostly just racing…” He later added, “But John E. seems like he’s working very hard.”
Through the JohnECam, President Jones can be found working very hard to raise money for HUB renovations, snacking at his desk and dueling with the squirrels who make daily attempts to overthrow the College.
