Recently, the Institute has been undergoing some significant and very important changes under the direction of the Department of Public Safety. Following the success of necessary proximity card readers installed in the Troy Building in Spring ’04, these ID scanners have since been implemented in the Greene Building, the Voorhees Communication Center, and Sage Labs, among others. While it may have taken longer than anticipated for these systems to be activated, this security control will have a significant positive impact.
For Public Safety itself, the ID readers mean a reallocation of time and manpower to duties more appropriate than spending hours locking down or reopening the campus. The systems can be programmed to lock doors after the last class in that building and reopen at an appropriate hour the next morning. For students and faculty—and in case of any emergencies—admission can now be gained during off-peak hours simply by having a valid RPI ID. Rather than having to prop open doors and windows in Greene, for example, architecture students can now gain access through these proximity card readers. This now means people can get into buildings whenever they need to and not just when it is convenient for Public Safety to keep them open.
In addition to the extended access, there is much-needed heightened security attained by keeping buildings locked, which is compromised when doors have to be propped. Despite our campus being relatively free of crime, there is still theft of equipment and laptops that occur throughout academic buildings. The ID scanners would be able to recognize if the person trying to enter should be allowed in that particular building—such as only architecture students and personnel being admitted into Greene. The general public would be rejected by the readers, and these people would also not have the convenience of open doors or windows.
The installation of these ID readers will ultimately improve security on a few levels. Within the individual buildings, only people who need access will be granted it. Across the campus, Public Safety will no longer have to worry about opening buildings and can in turn spend that effort where it is more suitable. The Institute will be safer and more convenient to access when these scanners are installed everywhere.
