Students dragging heavy luggage back from winter break last week were greeted with a brand new set of obstacles for obtaining entry into their dorm rooms. In response to the outbreak of petty crime in the neighborhood just outside Healy Gates at the end of the fall semester, the University has implemented another change in its campus dorm security policy, one that has provoked controversy among students.
The new procedure, effective at the beginning of this semester, requires that students who wish to enter any residence hall must first swipe their GoCards at the outdoor card reader and then at an additional machine located at each interior guard desk. After 9 p.m., students will be able to gain access only to their own residence halls. Friends from other halls must be signed in as guests.
The new policy, however, has proven unpopular with students. Aliana Marino (MSB ‘07), a resident of McCarthy Hall, considers the new policy an infringement upon her ability to socialize.
“I think any undergraduate Georgetown student should be able to get into the dorms,” she said. “I don’t understand why they are trying to keep students out.”
According to Vice President of Public Safety David Morrell, the change is timely because crime tends to spike at the beginning and end of each semester, when students are more prone to leaving their doors unlocked accidentally.
When Lucia Franzese (SFS ‘07) returned to her Village A apartment after the winter break, she found that the lock on the door was broken, provoking fear that her residence had been burglarized. Fortunately, she said, her caution when moving out after finals prevented the intruder from entering.
“I followed the checklist from Residence Life, so I bolted the door before leaving,” she said.
The list of safety measures was distributed by the Office of Residence Life to all on-campus mailboxes. Franzese noticed that other Village A apartments on Prospect Street showed similar evidence of tampering. She called DPS to report the attempted break-ins.
Morrell emphasized that this sort of student watchfulness is essential in campus crime prevention. “The people we arrest generally never have to break in because the doors are unlocked,” he said.
To counteract this trend, DPS and the Student Safety Advisory Board distributed magnets last semester reading: “Lock Your Doors.”
In an attempt to minimize crime during the recent vacation, DPS Director Darryl Harrison oversaw a door-to-door sweep of on-campus apartments on Dec. 22 to ensure that all doors were locked. DPS re-checked doors in later patrols throughout the break.
The new security policies are another measure aimed at preventing break-ins.
According to some students, however, the changes are more trouble than they’re worth. Some of the new GoCard-readers are not yet functioning and many residents and student guards have been ignoring the new rules.
“I think it is unnecessary and a pain,” McCarthy Hall Resident Assistant Abony Holmes (CAS ‘05) said. “I haven’t heard one good justification. If the University was truly concerned about our safety, it would make sure there was always a student guard present, especially in the early morning.”
Holmes added that the Southwest Quad residence complex has not had any break-ins this year. She said that the residents were probably responsible for the vandalism and laundry room thefts that have occurred.
Morrell emphasized that frequent changes in security policy are an attempt to react appropriately to crime on and off campus.
“Students have always been interested in the ability to swipe to gain access to these dorms, which is something we support,” he said. “However, after 9:00 p.m., we want it to be the right people, those who are authorized to be there.”
