Tulane plotting dorm security overhaul
13 November, 2015
category: Security
After investigating some recent security incidents on campus, Tulane University is plotting new safety measures in its residence halls. Tulane students have reported a string of campus incidents in recent months ranging from armed robbery to unauthorized entry of dorm rooms.
Per a report from the Tulane Hullabaloo, students and community members have sent emails to campus administration and held a recent town hall meeting sponsored by the student government’s Safety Committee to voice concerns over campus security. Among the concerns being voiced are a call for better front desk security in dorms and better enforcement of the ID swiping policies.
In addition to increased closed circuit television and emergency blue light telephones, the university is looking to boost security at entry and exit points at campus residence halls. In light of the recent activity on campus, Tulane residence halls have been more strict about students swiping their Splash Cards upon entry, as well as being more vigilant with buzzing students in when they forget their ID.
The university’s Department of Housing and Residence Life is also considering ways to make the system more user-friendly. Specifically, there have been reports of students still not fully understanding how to check in their guests at residence halls.
Tulane’s Housing and Residential Life and Campus Recreation told the Hullabaloo that a training meeting for residence hall desk attendants was held following the recent break-ins to make sure that employees are following all the proper access control procedures.
There is another security issue in the form of malfunctioning locks at one of Tulane’s residence halls. The misconception around campus is that the malfunction is due to the locks being WiFi-connected, but the university’s Housing and Residential Life insists that the problem is the result of incompatible software and hardware. Tulane is currently trialling Persona software to go with its Persona hardware on select locks to improve performance.
In the meantime, students living in that residence hall have reportedly been unable to lock or unlock their doors at times. The university reports that none of the thefts have been due to the lock issue.
