It only takes one ugly incident to remind those living in the dorms that their living quarters are far from invulnerable. Thankfully, AU has not had such an incident in quite some time. The worst that dorm-dwellers have to deal with are untimely fire alarms and the occasional petty vandalism.
Despite the safety that residents have come to assume as normal, it is important that Housing and Dining, as well as Public Safety, continue to revise and update dorm security. Changes can and must be made to keep residents safe - the recently unveiled plan to install a double-swipe security system in all AU dorms is not such a change.
The system - which requires students to swipe in once to get through the main doors and then again to get to the elevators or stairs - is meant to both make it easier for students to visit offices located in dorm rooms, such as Housing and Dining in Anderson, and also make it harder for students to slip by the front desk. But installing the system isn't cheap - according to Chris Moody, Housing and Dining's executive director, it will cost six-figures to install. The cost, along with the inconvenience it will pose to residents, makes the double-swipe system not worth the hassle.
If this system was guaranteed to keep creepers and criminals out of the dorms, it would absolutely be worth any price in time and money. But the fact remains - it will not. Just like people manage to slip past the front desk, they will also manage to slip by the second swipe box. During busy times of the day, the doors and elevators are constantly in use and basic courtesy prompts people to keep the doors open.
A criminal-in-waiting will take advantage of this opportunity and negate the whole, costly system. Unfortunately, as it is with airline safety, it will be with the double-swipe system; it will only create the illusion of safety. Is that worth the money?
Instead of spending hundreds-of-thousands of dollars on a system of doubtful utility, there are other, cheaper alternatives. A start would be to enforce vigilance from the desk receptionists. Too often friends or beleaguered residents block the DR's view of the door, allowing sly ne'er-do-wells to slip by. Another, simpler option would be to increase patrols in front of residence hall entrances. A non-student with bad intentions will be better deterred by the presence of a Public Safety officer than by a swipe-box.
