Residence halls were put back on open-access from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday.

An e-mail from Kelly Wesener, executive director for Housing and Dining, was sent to residents Friday, notifying them of Monday’s change.

The e-mail said card access is not the only thing that provides a safe living environment to the hall community, but also “significant police presence on campus and in the halls, surveillance cameras, campus safety centers, keyed elevators, access control staffed by security professionals and students’ willingness to report any suspicious activities.”

The decision was made by the Housing and Dining staff with the help of University Police and students.

“As we have moved forward from the 2-14 event, we have taken the time to evaluate what is an appropriate, responsible level of security and what was heightened due to the incident,” Wesener said. “In consultation with the campus police, the Housing and Dining staff, and students, we determined that 24-hour card access was a heightened measure and chose to return to the card access hours prior to 2-14.”

Many students expressed mixed emotions to the dorms returning to open-access. Some felt it was a hassle more than anything.

“It’s about time they opened back up,” said Nick Howe, freshman undeclared major and Grant Towers resident.

Despite the closed-access, some students were still able to enter the dorms without swiping their OneCards.

“I saw a lot of people getting into dorms without their ID, including myself,” said Mary Chraca, sophomore elementary education major and Lincoln Hall resident.

Chraca did not agree that closed-access in residence halls was necessary, but still felt “it was a step in the right direction.”

As for next year, the future of the residence halls remains undecided, Wesener said:
“After we finish this year, we will make the decision as to our card access for the 2008-2009 academic year.”

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