Card security considered for Manoa

By Michelle White

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration submitted a draft proposal to identify and establish procedures for the installation and use of a card access system at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

The proposed new policy, dated Aug. 4, would require a magnetic stripe card to access buildings on campus. The cards would apply to occupants and users of university buildings and facilities, and be integrated with UH system identification cards.

"It controls electronic access to all doors," said Gregg Takayama, public relations director of the UH School of Medicine. The school already uses an access card system.

"During normal working hours, the main lobby and classrooms are open access," he said. Labs and research areas are always locked and only accessible with an access card.

According to Emily Kukulies, a former employee at the University of Central Florida, which uses access cards, "[The system was] much more convenient than carrying a whole bunch of keys. Doors and supply cabinets were programmed for authorized users. It also kept track of who came in and out. They used a magnetic stripe on the back of the student identification card. It included key access, the meal plan and it was a bank card." Kukulies added that a benefit to the system was that the cards were also good off-campus. They could be used at any business or restaurant that patched into the system and got a card reader.

"This will be a very extensive thing to install across campus," professor Ruth Dawson said. "It will totally change the look of the campus."

Access cards are considered to be more cost-effective than keys.

"Making a key sets a department back to the order of $50," said Thomas Schroeder, associate professor of meteorology. "Cards are cheap, and basic computer options easily validate and/or cancel them."

Schroeder has heard from others, and thinks that the access card system would increase access for students.

"In my current building, the doors are locked at 5:30 p.m. and all through the weekends. Our undergrad majors can't get in after hours, though we find doors left ajar."

Access to buildings using the card system will be controlled by the president, chancellor, director and deans. The responsibility may be transferred to a building coordinator, who would oversee card access management.

According to the proposal, anyone using an access card without authorization or propping doors open would be subject to disciplinary action and/or criminal charges.

"Limiting people coming and going is quite chilling. What kind of access will students have?" Dawson said. "It seems extremely likely it is related to UARC, and it seems that this is being used to solve all of UH's security problems."

The Committee on Campus Safety and Security and the UHM administration have both been looking into the card access system.