Bill to install ID card readers on side doors for dorms introduced in SGA Senate
Side doors leading to the terrace floor of Merrill Residence Hall
Legislation in support of installing card-readers for the side entrances for residence halls was postponed in the Senate during Monday night’s Student Government Association meeting after heated debate.
The bill, brought before SGA by Senator Tristan Tibbe, will be taken before the Residence Hall Association in hopes of gaining RHA endorsement.
“I was talking to detective (Michael) Sienkiewicz in CMU’s police department and he brought up the point that he and some other higher ups at (the university) were talking about installing these (ID card readers) in residence halls,” Tibbe said. “(Sienkiewicz) made it very clear the department didn’t have exact specifics down, but he wanted proof that the student body supported this.”
The Resolution in Support of the Installation of Keycard Locks on Residence Hall Exterior Doors referenced several universities which have already implemented the system such as Eastern Michigan University, Northern Illinois University and Western Michigan University.
Many in the Senate however had reservations about the legislation. Senators worried residence halls would be unable to know who enters the halls after hours or how a lost student ID cards could be picked up by non-CMU persons and used to gain entry to residence halls.
Former deskie and senior Matt Daly said he feared with the installation of card readers would result in the hiring of less desk workers at residence halls around campus.
“I was a deskie for two years. The reason the front doors lock (at 10:00 p.m.) is so that the front desk is aware of who is in the building, for safety reasons,” he said. “I would be a lot more likely to support this legislation if it was (clearer) as to how it would affect (students).”
Several other senators echoed his sentiment but Tibbe argued because deskies do more than just key students in afterhours, their jobs would not be affected by the installation of the car readers.
Halfway through discussion, SGA President Chuck Mahone urged the body to consider tabling the bill until RHA could decide to endorse the piece or not.
“This is a good piece (of legislation) but we need to speak to our partners at RHA to see if they support this,” he said. “If (RHA) say they don’t want to do this (SGA) is going to look really, really stupid passing something we didn’t consult them on.”
If endorsed by RHA, the legislation will be brought before the Senate on Dec. 7 and voted on again.
