The BlueCard swipe-entry system in the Borden Gym locker rooms may soon spread to academic, residential and administrative buildings, said Chris Joel, Director of Business Services. Discussions are currently underway to expand the swipe-entry system as part of the BlueCard Access project, which Joel has spearheaded over the past six months. The specific buildings affected and an official time frame have yet to be determined. “We consider card access to be the next phase of lock-and-key and would generally consider it to be a better solution in our environment because of its advantages. It should also be noted that card access is being used at the majority of colleges and universities,” said Joel. The swipe-entry locks will lower maintenance costs. The downside of the current key-entry system is the high price and difficulty of replacing locking mechanisms and lost keys. With the new project, keys can be replaced at a lower cost without needing to worry about replacing the lock, according to Joel. “If a key is lost, the lock might need to be replaced. With a card, the card can be immediately disabled and a new card issued, levels of access can be easily changed to accommodate a variety of access scenarios, and buildings can be locked and unlocked remotely via a schedule or immediately if needed,” Joel said. As of September 16, all locker rooms and designated exterior doors in Borden have employed BlueCard swipe-entry system access. The main doors are unlocked for most of the day, but a BlueCard is required to open the other exterior doors and locker room doors all day. Student reactions to the current card-entry system in the locker rooms have been largely negative. “I understand it’s for safety and everything, but if you don’t have your Blue Card you have to stand outside and bang on the door and it’s really just a struggle. And if you don’t have anything to carry your Blue Card in, then you are stuck,” said Mahlet Ayana ’17. Lane Unsworth ’15 said, “The BlueCard system doesn’t work for me because I don’t like bringing my BlueCard with me to sports because I’m afraid I’ll lose it. So when I return from my sport, I don’t have my card with me, and I have to wait outside the locker room until someone else lets me in.”
