Students may no longer have to worry about being locked out of their dorms, thanks to a new initiative from Housing, Dining and Residence Life.
Over the summer, a new entry system was installed in all of the dorms on East Campus that allows students to enter by simply tapping their DukeCard to the card reader. Residents in Giles are also testing out electronic locks on room doors that are opened using waterproof electronic bracelets with chips embedded, replacing a traditional key. Giles freshmen said that they enjoy the new way of opening their rooms.
“I like them a lot, as opposed to using keys," freshman Kaelah Brauher said. "A lot of my friends, when they go to their rooms, have to wrestle around to find their keys, but for us it’s really easy and convenient.”
Freshman Nicole Ross noted that she is excited for the system to be implemented in other buildings.
“I use my wristband to get in everywhere, I barely have to take my key out unless it’s to get into a gym or anything," Ross said. "I think they should implement this system in every single dorm because it's extremely useful and just amazing.”
However, some students said that there was confusion on move-in day about how to use the electronic cards and bracelets.
“I think when we first got them, they were kind of a nuisance because we weren’t really sure how to use them, and it took like ten minutes to get into my actual room," freshman Mackenzie DeLoatch said. "But now, it’s like I don’t even have to think about it, and it’s super easy and convenient."
Rick Johnson, associate vice president of student affairs for Housing, Dining and Residence Life, explained that all of the dorms on campus will eventually have these features.
"At this point, the University has no way to lock down or control entry into University buildings," he said. "If there was a safety issue, the University could not centrally lock doors, which is a problem."
He noted that many other college campuses have systems in which locking doors is controlled centrally.
Although the timeline for the project's completion is undetermined, Johnson said that HDRL will install the technology in any residence halls that are being renovated or built. This includes the new dorm on East Campus—which will be built close to Bell Tower residence hall and will be completed by January 2018—as well as Crowell and Craven residence halls, which are in line to be updated.
The new system also makes Giles safer because doors automatically lock when closed, Johnson explained. Even if students are only leaving their rooms to take a shower, their belongings are safe.
The feedback from freshmen about the bracelets has been overwhelmingly positive, Johnson said. He noted that because of the new technology, very few students have been locked out of their rooms.
"It seems, from a technology standpoint, that the key systems were outdated, and the University wants to move toward a comprehensive solution all over campus," he said. "Not only outside of every building on campus, but it made a lot of sense to take that same technology and move it inside residence halls.”
Claire Ballentine contributed reporting.
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