New on campus article

After a new double-barrier security system was installed in Letts Hall over winter break, some residents expressed mixed opinions about the measure. Nevertheless, Director of Housing and Dining Programs Chris Moody said that his team is looking to expand the security system to the rest of the residence halls on campus within the next few years.
Until this semester, residents of Letts only had to swipe into the building once at the front door with an AU ID, as is the case with all other dorms on campus excluding Nebraska Hall. Moody said the double-barrier system adds another layer of security to Letts, where students must swipe their IDs again to get through the doors that lead to the residential part of the building.
“I’m hoping people will understand that we’re doing this for student protection and for no other reason,” Moody said.
While the second barrier is already installed, it is not yet turned on, according to several Letts residents.
Carter Gibson, the vice president of advocacy for Letts Hall and a freshman in the School of Communication and Kogod School of Business, said he doesn’t think the double-barrier system is worth the money.
“The principle of it is sound, even though it doesn’t actually increase security in my opinion, it does because of the idea of it,” he said. “I’m not opposed to it, but I’m also not for it. I just don’t see what it’s doing.”
Layal Brown, a sophomore in SOC living in Letts, said that she wasn’t aware of the double-barrier system, and added that she didn’t really care if the measure was used.
“It’s good for extra security, but if you forget your ID and there’s no one else to swipe you in, then you’re kind of screwed getting in through the second set of doors.”
Since the residence halls are also home to organizations and administrative offices, such as Housing and Dining and the Residence Hall Association in Anderson Hall, Moody said that the double-barrier system will increase accessibility for non-residents.
Anyone would be able to access the first entry to a dorm during regular business hours with any AU ID, according to Moody. The second layer of security would be resident-only, where students would have to swipe their ID card to access the stairs or elevator to get to their rooms, he said.
“It will make a difference in making it harder for people who don’t belong to move freely around the residence hall once they have piggy backed in the front door,” said Director of Public Safety Chief Michael McNair in an e-mail.
Moody said he anticipates that residents will not be fans of the double-barrier system, but added that students living in Nebraska hall have been living with the system and are not at issue with the measure anymore.
“You learn, you adapt to whatever your [living] circumstance is,” Moody said. “And because of that, it’s kind of shown us that people can adjust to this, they can get used to it. It’s just going to be a rolling effect of people doing that, and the price of some frustration I think is worth the security that’s added.”
The double-barrier system had been on Housing and Dining’s radar for six to seven years, according to Moody, but the project had to be postponed due to lack of funding. When they received adequate funding two years ago, Housing and Dining worked closely with Facilities Management and Public Safety to plan the project, according to Moody.
“We provided them [Housing and Dining] with the blue print on how to make the double-barrier entry system work seamlessly with existing security hardware and software,” McNair said in the e-mail. “These recommendations include, but were not limited to, card reader model and type and the placement of the readers so that they would be the most effective.”
Moody said that Housing and Dining is planning to install the double-barrier system into all of the other residence halls as each building is renovated. He added that the same system will be in place in Anderson Hall by summer 2010, McDowell in 2011 and Hughes in 2012.
Gibson said he thinks the system is too easy to get around.
“If someone gets in without an ID [behind] someone else who comes in, and they go to the other doors, they just wait there until someone else opens the door for them,” Gibson said. “So it seems pretty ineffective right now.”
Both Moody and McNair said they know there will be a learning curve for students sneaking through the second barrier.
“It isn’t foolproof, but then no system is,” McNair said in the e-mail.