Thursday, January 17, 2008
Residence halls will soon have similar card-scanning systems to the Jayhawker Towers.
If students make the short trip down the hill to the Jayhawker Towers after living in the dorms, they will notice one major difference. After 11 p.m., no resident assistants swipe cards to let students in the door. Instead, boxes on the doors allow students who live in a particular building to get in any time.
The Department of Student Housing began to set up card-scanning systems in residence halls that require residents to swipe their KUID 24-hours a day to get inside the hall.
Diana Robertson, director of student housing, said the residence halls have needed a new security system and the department had talked about it for a while.
Allie Cleary, Council Grove freshman, swipes her KUID card to enter Ellsworth. The new card system was effective starting on Tuesday.
The new system is already in place and activated in Ellsworth Hall, Oliver Hall, McCollum Hall, and Corbin Hall, The system was turned on in McCollum at the end of last semester.
“There’s never going to be the best time to incur the cost, so let’s just do it and get it done,” Robertson said.
She said the new system would cost about $80,000 for all eight residence halls. Lewis Hall, Templin Hall, Hashinger Hall and Gertrude Sellars Pearson Hall will receive the new hardware soon.
Robertson said the system was not without its downside.
She said the main problem would be “tailgaters,” or people who get inside right behind someone else who scanned his or her card. She believes awareness of this possibility will help.
“We just want students to be mindful of who they’re letting in,” said Robertson.
Robertson said she thought people were excited about the new system for the most part. She said similar systems were in place on campuses around the country, and it would be a good investment.
Some students have mixed feelings on the topic. Steve Shi, a McCollum resident from China, said the new system was good and safer than the old method which allowed “some bad people” to get in.
Matt Humphreys, Lansing freshman, McCollum resident, said he thought it was a pretty good idea.
“With 900 plus students, the RAs can’t keep track of all students,” Humphreys said.
He said the extra second or two it took to scan the card is no inconvenience to him.
Not all students are impressed. McCollum resident Monica Panayi, Cyprus freshman, said it was a big inconvenience so far, especially moving in after winter break. She said she was also concerned with tailgaters.
Brian Hatesohl, Lawrence sophomore, didn’t even know about the system until he was asked about it.
“It seems a little unnecessary,” said Hatesohl before he went inside and tried it.
“That’s ridiculous!” he said after trying the system out.
Robertson also said the new system was not related to the shootings at Virginia Tech in April 2007. She said it helped spur a decision regarding the card-scanners, but the discussion had been going on for several years. The fact the doors to the residence halls were open all day to anyone was one reason for the new system.
Students will still have to check themselves and their guests in after 11 p.m. after they swipe their cards to get into the residence halls. Both systems will exist until a better method is found.
“Hopefully it doesn’t take long and it won’t be a problem,” Robertson said.
— Edited by Sasha Roe
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