RPS aims for total keyless dorm entry

Residential Programs and Services is integrating keyless entry and video surveillance at all of its residences halls.

Briscoe Quad and Tulip Tree apartments have already received these upgrades during their recent renovations.

Such security measures began about 10 years ago. Willkie Quad was the first to utilize keyless entry, said Sara Ivey-Lucas, assistant director for housing
assignments.

“It started with keyless entry to just the exterior doors,” Ivey-Lucas said. “Now we are moving toward room-level access through key cards. It’s a slow process because it gets expensive.”

Currently McNutt Quad and Union Street Apartments feature room-level key-card access.

Keyless entry works by swiping the IU student ID card like a hotel key card.
This technology is safer than mechanical keys, Director for Residential Operations Robert Weith said.

“Mechanical keys can wear out, and it’s hard to keep up with changing the locks,” Weith said. “We also always know who is in the building. If there’s an event, we will have key-card record if the person is not a resident.”

Mechanical keys also pose a problem because first-time students are more prone to losing them, Weith said.

Freshman Natalie Duffy said she feels that key-card access would make her feel more secure in the residence halls.

“I think people keep better track of their ID because they use it for identification and meal points,” Duffy said. “It is more trustworthy because your ID has your name and picture on it whereas anyone can get a hold of your key.”

It is too early to predict when all of the residence halls will feature keyless room-level
entry, Ivey-Lucas said.

“Our budget accounts for key-card entry at the room level in new residence halls or renovations,” Ivey-Lucas said. “This change includes RPS-owned apartments and regular rooms.”

In addition to keyless entry, RPS uses video surveillance outside and inside the residence halls.

“We will use it to monitor activity around the dorms and certain other locations,” Ivey-Lucas said. “This is more campus-level security.”

The video surveillance footage is closely monitored throughout the day and has already been helpful in police investigations and identification of vandals, Weith said.

The biggest reason security is important in the residence halls is because freshmen typically aren’t adjusted to the dangers of living away from home.

“In general, people who live on campus frequently let their guard down,” Weith said. “Safety pieces are beneficial so students don’t need to think about the locking system that is taking care of them. We act as away-from-home caretakers.”   

Security within the residence halls is more than simply supplying a service to the residents.

“There’s a theory called the hierarchy of needs,” Ivey-Lucas said. “We have to take care of the more simple needs like being well-fed and feeling safe before we can accomplish more advanced needs like learning how to thrive in an educational environment.”