Freshman residence hall in need of lock upgrades
By Britney Nowak
On October 24, 2012
Neumann Hall has often been referred to as "Nasty Neumann." Whether you think
Neumann is "nasty" or not, there's one underlying issue that deserves to be brought up.
That issue is the safety and security of students and their belongings.
For those who may not know, Neumann Hall does not have the key cards that are issued
for residence halls like Porter. They have old-fashioned hard keys.
I do not know how many thefts have been reported in each of the residence halls on
campus, but I believe each building should provide the same level of security for each
student living on campus. Not only that, but it would be so much more convenient to
carry a card than it would be to carry keys.
As a resident of Neumann, I would feel much safer if I had a key card instead of a regular
key. I feel that a regular lock is much easier to pick, and someone could easily enter
another person's room even if it was locked.
Some could say it's too expensive and too time consuming to change all of the locks in a
residence hall like Neumann. But does this justify compromising the safety and security
of the students?
I understand it might cost a lot of money to change all of the locks on all of the doors
in Neumann. Yet, all students have to pay mandatory fees that support the facilities and
services they depend on. I feel the college could use some of that money to make the
necessary upgrades.
As for it being time consuming, I understand that it might take some time to change all of
the locks. I understand that it would be unreasonable not to allow students into Neumann
in the middle of the semester until the locks are all changed.
However, Neumann is not a large building. There are only three floors, with about 30
rooms on each floor. I imagine it would not take as much time to change the locks in
Neumann as it would in a larger building like Porter.
The locks could easily be changed over the course of the summer. Some of them could
even be changed over winter break, if that was deemed necessary.
If there's enough time and manpower for all of this other construction and renovation
work on campus, why wouldn't there be enough time and manpower for new locks in
Neumann?
This change would also be more convenient for students. A key card could easily fit
into someone's wallet or pocket, unlike common keys. Plus, a simple swipe is easier to
contend with than some of the older handle locks.
I understand that such changes cannot be made immediately, but I think there should be
some serious consideration put into changing the locks in Neumann Hall. It would bring
additional security to students and their personal belongings, and it would be a valuable
improvement to our campus.
Britney Nowak can be reached by email at nowak.record@live.com.
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