The Department of Residence is planning to begin locking the doors of all its buildings 24 hours a day. The reasons given for this change are solicitors and homeless individuals entering dorms.

This is a self-defeating idea. If the doors are to be locked for security purposes, and the buildings are going to be secure, all doors will have to be locked. For maximum security, residents should only be given keys to the area they live in. At a minimum, the student has three keys: one outside door, one room, one bathroom. But some buildings have locked elevators. Four keys. Most dorms don’t have their own dining halls, whereas nearly every resident has a meal plan. Five keys. Should all students have equal access to community areas in the dorms, like the Friley Terrace Room? Six keys.

So, the buildings are made slightly more secure. At what cost? The only people the DOR inconveniences with this plan are the residents, their paying customers. Contact your IHRA representative now and tell them how you feel about this issue.

Erin Boote

Senior

Chemical Engineering