Brief: Card Lock Changes
Reported by Kathryn McClintock
Newberg, Ore. -- When students came back from Christmas break, they were greeted by some changes to the card lock system on campus. All students were able to get access to each residence hall’s common area at all times. Additionally, individual halls in dorms were locked 24 hours a day, instead of just past floor hours.
In dorms like Macy, with a self-contained laundry room and kitchen on each floor, this isn’t much of a problem. However, in dorms like Brandt and Newlin, it adds some extra complications to daily tasks, like doing dishes and laundry.
It can also add another step to popping out of your hall to play a game of foosball, or do homework. “It’s a pain to do dishes or laundry, and I feel like I see less people in the lobby doing homework,” said one student, who wished to remain anonymous. “It just seems like there’s less community in the lobbies.”
Alan Thurston, locksmith for the university, shed some light on the reasoning behind these changes. “It was so students could feel more protected. They decided to give all students 24-hour access to residence halls, that way, if you needed to get into an area to feel safe, you’re able to do that,” Thurston said.
Compared to the old system, the changes also do more to prevent intruders from entering student areas. “If somebody followed somebody into a residence hall they were able to walk into the hallways because those used to be unlocked. Now, they’re locked down, so students feel more secure that way,” Thurston explained.
Thurston understands that it’s an inconvenience to students, but he believes that the inconvenience is worth the added protection for students. While convenience can be tempting, he pointed out that it only takes one bad incident to make people wish they’d done more to secure students.
The new card readers, installed over the summer, are also more secure than the old magnetic stripe readers. The proximity sensors are less easy to hack, and also provide a higher level of security to students on campus.