Safety, not acrimony, goal of card system
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When it comes to student life at MSU, safety on campus should be a top priority. University officials seem to agree, as demonstrated with the card-scanning security systems in residence halls, but undergraduate student government groups are hoping to make the system more convenient for students — an unnecessary change.
ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, and the Residence Halls Association, or RHA, have proposed revisions to the system. ASMSU introduced a bill with the changes at a meeting earlier in the month, and RHA also discussed a similar bill last Wednesday.
The system takes another step toward increasing safety in dorms, and any other inconvenient factors should be worth the gain.
The card-scanning system has been installed in every residence hall, starting with Snyder and Phillips halls in 2007. The systems are different for every building; some of the halls have classrooms, offices and lounges that don’t require card-scanners, and other halls require students to swipe their card to gain access to residential wings.
An ASMSU representative said the systems work, but they are an inconvenience for students. The residence halls require students to go out of their way to let visiting friends into the building. Although the restrictions with the card-scanners might be inconvenient, it is a small price to pay for the safety it ensures.
Students constantly are walking in and out of the buildings, which might make it easy for untrustworthy people to sneak into the residential wings. This might be a concern, but not many people are entering residential wings during the night or late into the weekends. It would be difficult for intruders to access certain parts of residence halls without looking suspicious, especially during the middle of the night.
It’s impossible to screen every single person that comes through a residence hall, but the card-scanners are a step in the right direction.
The system in place might be more difficult for older students to adapt to, which might be where some of the frustration with the card-scanners is coming from.
For some students who have lived in a residence hall for up to four years, having to adjust to the new system halfway through their time at college could be difficult. Needing to dig around to find ID cards when students are used to just walking into their hall could be a tough adjustment, but it’s for improving campus safety.
The university currently is in an adjustment period with the card-scanners. Some students were introduced to the systems a couple of years after they came to MSU, and others had to get used to the scanners as soon as they got here. In a few years, when students are more used to the card-scanning system, some of the frustration and inconvenience students associate with the system will be gone.
Any negative factors that come along with the card-scanners are worth the security and safety the system brings to students living in the residence halls. Students should be willing to sacrifice some inconvenience for the assurance of their continued well-being.
