Residence Life and Public Safety are so paranoid that some unauthorized person will gain access to the dorms that students’ key cards only work on their own dorm. Not only are they so strict with security on Freshman Hill that you’d think this is practically Boston University, but the security we do have seems to lack common sense.
As notorious as BU is for its locked down dorms, at least its security has consistency going for it. Here at RPI, Sharp Hall is clearly lacking in practical security. Half of the building is open to anyone with a card. I understand why students living in Nugent and Davison Halls should have access to the laundry room in the basement, but the ID system grants them access to the doors leading directly to the rest of the hall as well. Instead, many enter through the main Sharp doors on one side of the building and then head downstairs to the laundry machines.
In addition, many freshmen living on the Hill can also get into Sharp, but only through some of the main floor entrances; they cannot get in through the basement doors. I understand why they should have access to the worn-out weight room in the basement, so why do they only have access to a main entrance and not the basement? What makes matters worse is that in order for Sharp residents to get from the basement to the main floor, they must use a key to get back onto the residential floors. Since non-residents, however, gain access to the main floors and as well as the basement, this door serves little practical purpose. It just doesn’t make any sense. Who would program the key cards to not work on the basement door but work on the entrance to the rest of the hall?
To be fair, it is really nice to not have to walk down to the front door to let visitors in. In fact, it would probably be appreciated in all halls if the key cards worked, say between 8 am and 5 pm for all RPI students. If locked down, strict security is what they’re into, they should at least try to make it more consistent.
The entrances in Sharp are not the only locks that I can’t seem to make sense of—the promised bike racks remain locked in their respective basement rooms. Despite several reassuring conversations with ResLife staff and over a month into school, the rooms are somehow still locked.
With a little luck, some time, and some much needed changes, perhaps security in Sharp will begin to make sense. And if not, maybe I’ll try my ID card at BU.
