Access control was added to both the VCC and Folsom Library over the winter break. Beginning January 24, any person wishing to enter the VCC or Folsom Library between 9 pm and 7 am will need his or her Rensselaer ID. Patrons without an ID card wishing to use the Folsom Library during those hours will be required to use an intercom and display valid identification to use the library resources. Access to the building during normal hours will remain uninhibited.
The added access control system is part of a multi-year project to “expand the use of security technology on the Rensselaer campus,” said Claude Rounds, vice president of administration. According to Rounds, the added security is not in response to any particular incident but, is part of a “proactive opportunity to enhance security on campus.”
Rounds said there are plans to install access security technology in the Greene Building, Polymer Building, Materials Research Center, Cogswell Laboratories, and Academy Hall shortly. The new Biotechnology Center is already equipped with the technology. Rounds hopes to have access control technology installed in all academic buildings within the next five years. As access is expanded to other academic buildings, the plan calls for certain buildings to have pre-approved access lists, e.g. all architecture students may gain access to the Green Building after-hours, but no other students.
Currently anyone wishing to enter an academic building after hours must call Public Safety for the building to be unlocked. As all academic buildings’ access become electronically controlled, Public Safety will no longer be forced to lock and unlock the buildings each night and morning.
According to Paul Martin, assistant vice president for administration, this new system is not only more convenient for students, it also frees up needed Public Safety resources that can now be used more efficiently.
Martin added that it will cost between $50,000 and $300,000 per academic building to wire the access control system depending upon what technology is already present. He stated that it cost $51,000 to add access control technology to the Folsom Library, while the VCC already had most of the technology installed.
The access control system will log access to the buildings. However, Rounds states that the access log will be cleared every thirty days and will only be consulted when necessary, but privacy issues may be raised. Computer science student Tom Tresansky ’06, said “I would have some privacy concerns, but I’d say they’re very minor.”
Electrial, Computer and Systems Engineering student Ryan Kindle ’05 also weighed in, adding, the new system “beats the security guard in the Troy Building.”
The Folsom Library access system was designed to allow access to non-RPI users because, according to Bernard Drobnicki, an analyst at Public Safety, the library “needs to be accessible to the general public” due to agreements in place with the city of Troy, among others. No plan is being made to allow non-RPI users access to other academic buildings.
