ID Scanners on Harborside Fixed

For weeks now, students and faculty have struggled to go about their daily routines due to the breakdown of the card scanners in the HAC building. Now, every student’s ID has been scanned incorrectly at least once, and just about every time it happens, it’s embarrassing. But the building-wide shutdown of the scanners posed a much greater challenge than mere humiliation. Despite being fixed this past Monday, March 18, the inconveniences of this error are still the talk of the table for students.

For students who worked early shifts or had AM labs, the uncertainty with the doors was varied. One student reported having to walk a lap around the building before finding one that was unlocked while another questioned the school’s use of funds. Conversely, students traveling late at night often cut through the HAC building as a shortcut; mostly to avoid the cold weather and they were disappointed to find the necessary doors locked. Safe to say, this door puzzle did not make midterms easier.

Although, that’s not to say Campus Safety and Security had it easy during this time either. In speaking with Director Rose, the Executive Director of SafeSec, I found there to be as much struggle on their end as on ours. According to him, the shutdown initially occurred when the building’s controller and power supply failed at the end of January; a service request was subsequently submitted to the vendor on the 30th of that same month. Unfortunately, the major components needed for the repair were on backorder—leading to significant delays in the fix.

Moreover, the doors to the building needed to be manually unlocked every day and night, which perhaps explains why some doors were unlocked and others weren’t. Additional checks also needed to be done while they waited for the new equipment. After all, I’m sure most students are looking forward to getting campus back to the way it was. When IDs were needed to enter buildings, we were more embarrassed by flashing red and green lights than a locked door.