OU weighs costs, benefits of keycard entry

by Lindsey McKay
For The Post

Students living in Johnson Hall might have better security this year because of the installation of a keyless entry system to the East Green residence hall.

Ohio University piloted the system in the nine exterior doors of the upper-classman hall this quarter.

The greatest benefit of the system is increased security for residence halls, said Joseph Burke, director of Residence Life.

"The main reasons it's safer are variations of the reporting mechanism: if someone loses his key, he may wait awhile to get another one. But students need their ID cards to eat, and if they have Bobcat cash, they'll report it missing right away," Burke said.

But security in residence halls is not a troubling issue for some students. "Safety is not really a concern for me," said OU junior Maggie Wickline, who lives in Johnson Hall. "If people want to get in, they'll get in."

And for some residents, keycards are a matter of convenience, not safety.

"Swiping the keycard is easier than using a regular key," said OU sophomore and Johnson Hall resident Mandy Frost.

Installing electronic locks in Johnson Hall cost roughly $35,000, said Gordon Pettey, assistant director of Housing and Food Services.

"All we had to do was install the system," Pettey said. "We already had the software we bought in 1995."

OU intended to install electronic locks for individual rooms, but the cost proved too high, Burke said. But the keyless access system has long-term benefits that outweigh immediate costs.

"We'd have to do all the necessary wiring, so the initial cost would be greater, but over time it's intended to save money," Burke said. "Disabling the cards is cheaper than changing locks."

OU employees who work in several buildings also will benefit from keyless entry in the long run, Pettey said.

"Security aides could use their keys to access buildings on the nights they work, and maintenance men could use their ID to access several buildings instead of carrying many keys," Pettey said.

Plans for extending the system to other halls are tentative, but Read Hall is scheduled to be renovated next, Burke said.

"We're seeing what the costs will be, but I think they'll try to place electronic locks in the interior of Read," Burke said. "If the money's there, the renovation period is the best time. We've got it offline, let's just do it."