More than 100 universities across the nation are starting to implement a "hotel-style" electronic key system for rooms in their residential dormitories.
With this system, students use their ID card, instead of the traditional mechanical key, to "swipe" into their rooms. At some universities, students have to enter a four-digit PIN number as well for added security.
Penn has been piloting this system in one section of Gregory College House since 2002, but has no immediate plans to expand the program.
"The pilot seems to be going quite well. It brings more positive than negative," Vice President of Public Safety Maureen Rush said.
Many larger universities have been using the system for the past few years.
The University of Michigan and the University of California at Los Angeles are currently using more than 6,000 electronic locks for their residential housing, according to Terri Pearson, education market specialist at Onity, Inc. Onity produces electronic locks, including the ones being used on campus.
Nevertheless, as with any new project, the cost of switching over to a new system would be significant.
Rush estimates that it would cost about $3 million to switch over to electronic locks.
"The costs would certainly be a huge expenditure, and that's why we're not jumping into it," Rush said. "We want to make sure it's the right thing for this environment, and we want to make sure we have the best product and the best company."
Mechanical locks can range in price from $125 to $275, while electronic locks cost around $350. However officials say that the long-term savings from using these locks outweigh the initial costs.
At Penn, the cost of changing a lock is about $80. Housing and Conference Services spokeswoman Dana Matkevich estimates that about 300 keys are not returned at the end of each year.
Yet Matkevich said that after reviewing the initial piloting of the program in Gregory, "there would be no cost-benefit of using the swipe-card system. ... The cost of using the swipe-card program as opposed to the brass key is almost equivalent."
Princeton University has been piloting a program similar to Penn's in two of its dormitories for the past five years.
"The philosophy here is one ID card has [multiple] technologies on it," said David Olsen, an electrical engineer for Princeton's Facilities Engineering, adding that student ID cards are already used at the library, dining halls, banks and now dorm rooms.
Olsen estimates that Princeton may start using the electronic locks and keys for all its college housing within the next two years.
At Loyola Marymount University in California, the electronic-lock system has been in place for over five years in over 3,500 residential dormitories and other buildings.
John Beckwith, director of Campus Business Services at Loyola Marymount, said that the locks were installed to help housing services with key management.
"It was a nightmare for them to issue all these metal keys. ... They were constantly having to deal with [students losing their keys], and now it's much better," Beckwith said.
Rather than making a new key and changing locks each time a key is lost, students obtain a new card which has an encrypted code to grant them access to their dorm room.
Beckwith said that the locks also offer added security. A tracking system within each lock can record more than 1,100 past transactions.
"We're saving some energy, but we're also gaining tracking. Now we know exactly who's been through a door," Beckwith said.
Whether or not Penn decides to use the electronic-lock system remains to be determined.
Rush said that the University's goal "has always been to secure the perimeters of all the buildings" via security guards and other measures.
"This would be icing on the cake. ... I don't think it's something that if we didn't do it people shouldn't feel less safe. It would be an improvement, it would be convenient, [but] without it will people be less safe? No."
Regardless, many current users are pleased with the technology.
"I love it. I think it's really convenient. ... It's just easier than dealing with keys, since I'm already coming into the building with my PennCard to swipe," said Leslie Delauter, director of College Houses and Academic Services and a senior fellow in Gregory College House. "I feel really good about the fact that if anyone is going to come into my apartment ... that's all captured."
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