Following the break-ins at several Hill College House dorm rooms, allegedly perpetrated by a University employee with access to room keys, many students on campus feel that a need exists for more secure door locks.
As a short-term response, the locks of dorm rooms in Hill were changed after the incidents in September. Dorm locks in similarly impacted Sansom Place West, however, have not yet been changed.
Alternative entry systems were first introduced last year, and what currently exists as a pilot program may eventually provide the solution some students are looking for.
After successfully installing a new system of electronic dorm room locks in Gregory College House's Class of 1925 building last year, Housing and Conference Services and the Division of Public Safety continue to evaluate the program and the security benefits it offers to residents.
The door locks -- which resemble entry systems found in hotels -- require students to swipe their PennCards and then enter the last four digits of their Social Security number to enter their rooms.
Public Safety's director of security and technical services, Domenic Ceccanecchio, said that he has received positive feedback from personnel at Gregory and added that a different model of these electronic locks is also currently being used in the Public Safety building in order to "evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of both systems."
Housing and Conference Services Director Doug Berger added that "what we're looking at right now is the various locks and to see how students were able to function with them. For the most part, we received good feedback," though he noted that complaints were voiced by residents who needed to carry a separate card in order to access public spaces in their college house.
Gregory resident and Wharton freshman Silvia Bernardini said, "I definitely think it's a lot more convenient than carrying around keys all day," adding, however, that when one of her suitemates left her PennCard in their apartment, she needed to go to the information center and get a temporary pass to obtain access to the room.
Housing Services is now in the process of comparing door-lock plans offered by different lock companies.
"We are certainly looking at continuing to investigate the various companies that are out there, [paying particular attention to] cost-wise, will it pay for itself or not? What are the advantages and disadvantages?" Berger said.
"We're looking into it for different reasons -- we have 12,000 brass keys we have to inventory, so it would give us a different method of getting into a room, [and] it would improve key management," Berger said, adding that the University still has to learn about the more complex issues of the system, including the computer network on which the program is run.
Though the locks are more costly than traditional key locks, Ceccanecchio said that "there are benefits to obtain from it despite that cost," including allowing police to track who has entered and exited each room using an approved PennCard, including Facilities Services workers who may be issued temporary card passes in order to fix a room problem.
"At any institution, keys and key controls are always an issue, and [the new program] is one way to eliminate that problem. You don't have to worry about people going out and duplicating keys and distributing them," Ceccanecchio added.
The University has also taken into account the need to adjust the system to meet student needs.
In response to the religious restrictions of observant Jewish students who do not use electricity on the Sabbath, a traditional key will be able to override the system and allow students to enter the room.
Public Safety is aware of its "need to take into consideration everyone's concerns," Ceccanecchio said.
Other universities, such as Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Michigan, also use an electronic lock system in a number of their student residences.
