Within the next three years, Boston College’s security system will see a major overhaul: a uniform system of card readers will be implemented in academic, administrative, and residential buildings across campus, security cameras will be installed in the front of all residential buildings, and the blue light system will be consolidated. The new uniform card system will operate based off the University’s Wi-Fi, so students will be able to just walk up to a building door and gain entrance without swiping his or her card. The change is meant to standardize security systems across campus, and, in general, make the campus safer.
Even though eduroam, the new wireless network implemented at BC over the summer, has yet to meet expectations in providing reliable Internet for the college, the new card reader system should not be adversely affected by a shoddy connection—the readers will have a built in memory system, so it will not require the constant source of Wi-Fi to be pulling information from all the time.
While the new security system will be powerful, it’s important that student privacy is kept a foremost concern. The security system should be used as a criminal deterrent, not a surveillance system for students. Director of the BCPD John King specified that the security cameras will only be on the front of residential buildings, and the feed of which will not be constantly monitored, but rather accessed when evidence is necessary to determine whether there was an unlawful breach of the building or reviewing an incident. It is important that it is kept this way. Keeping non-students from going where they shouldn’t, and keeping students’ personal items in his or her room safe is not increased “surveillance”—it’s simply making campus more safe. If the University sticks to these applications, this system will lead to substantial improvements in student well-being.
To get into an individual’s dorm room, the original keypad code will still be required, but the ID scanner will also be an added security layer—a smart change that would keep, say, a roommate that an individual doesn’t get along with from just handing out a joint room code to unwelcome individuals. But, the new system will hopefully not restrict cross-dorm movements—just make it more difficult for an individual trying to get somewhere he or she doesn’t belong.
While the prospect of such a large scale and advanced change might conjure some Orwellian thoughts of control and privacy invasion, this system looks to be nothing but a good thing. Students will feel more secure, and will even be able to get into dorms without having to dig around in their bags for a card—the only downside, it seems, is that students have to be on top of themselves even more to not misplace their precious ID.
Featured Image by Emily Fahey / Heights Staff
