This past summer, Phillips Academy Public Safety (PAPS) collaborated with the Office of the Physical Plant (OPP) to implement a new swipe-access system to Borden Gym to heighten its security. The system piloted during Andover’s annual Summer Session. Both the front and rear entrances to Borden will be unlocked from 6:00 am to 9:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. All other exterior doors will remain locked throughout the day but will be accessible with BlueCard swipe access. Locker rooms will also require swipe access. When Becky Sykes, former Associate Head of School, Thomas Conlon, Director of Public Safety, and Maureen Ferris, Director of Risk Management began discussions about school safety, the security of the gymnasium was at the forefront of the conversation, according to Conlon. “Gymnasium security was a highlight due to the public nature of the building…and because of this, we decided to look at Borden to start this card access system,” said Conlon. As of now, there are no plans for the new security system to be available to other campus buildings. According to an e-mail Conlon sent to The Phillipian, Chris Joel, Director of Business Services, and Mike Kuta, Director of Athletics, Andover Summer Session also piloted ID card access in Paresky Commons this summer. OPP and PAPS are currently evaluating the results of the program to make recommendations to the Senior Administrative Council based on their findings.
