Until Pitt starts informing students about general safety in Oakland, cameras, SafeRider and other safety features around campus won’t be effective — so they won’t protect Pitt students.

Increased surveillance may seem like a step in the right direction — it could bolster security in Oakland where thousands of Pitt students reside and attend class. But Oakland isn’t in dire need of more security — and installing cameras will hardly combat domestic violence, which is one of the primary reasons they were implemented in the first place.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala announced the installation of the 60 cameras last week, 10 months after Pitt student Alina Sheykhet was found dead in her home on Cable Place.