U. installs new dorm technology

University identification cards can now say a lot more about students than what's written on their face. A new advanced PennCard system installed in dormitories this year allows security guards to access everything from students' phone numbers to their University address. "Primarily it was Residential Living who oversaw the installation of these new terminals," said University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich. "This will help security by showing if a PennCard has been deactivated." In the past, two employees were required to work at the front desk of residences during the late evening hours. This new system consolidates the work so that one person can accomplish both tasks of identifying individuals who do not live in the residence, while issuing guest passes to non-residents. Residential Living policy dictates that anyone who does not live in a particular residence must be signed in as a guest after 1 a.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends. "What the computers are is a flashy way to show if a PennCard is valid," said Gigi Simeone, director of Residential Living. "The primary purpose was to implement the change of having one person at the desk instead of two, and so far we've had no problems." The advanced system will flash up on a computer terminal the name, student identification number and address of the student. This will help to expedite signing visitors into the residences by automatically giving needed information, Simeone said. "An added bonus of this is increased speed of processing students who have forgotten their PennCard," Simeone said. "The information can be checked with the computers which will save time." Security guards always had access to this information, Kuprevich said. But now "it just gets [to security personnel] faster," he said. Additional information may be added to the computers over time, according to Kuprevich. A picture of the user may be shown on the computers when the PennCard is scanned. Other information that might eventually be displayed are the names and phone numbers of people to contact in case the holder of the PennCard is involved in an emergency. The advanced system will only be used between midnight and 8 a.m., Simeone said. At all other times the standard two or more employees will be at the front desk of residences.