new keyless entry system for all dorm buildings is planned to be completed by the start of the 2014 fall semester.

The project covers all campus buildings and is split into three phases. The first of these phases covers all the residential buildings on campus, as well as the Brossman Commons. The system will get rid of keys for dorm buildings, replacing them with new identification cards.  These cards will have all the same swipe functionalities as the current cards when visiting the cafeteria or purchasing items from the school store and Jay’s Nest.

The difference in the new cards will be a proximity chip that is read by a card reader located on the exterior doors of the buildings. Keys will continue to be used until the beginning of the 2014 fall semester, at which point, current students will be issued new cards, as they were in their first year at Elizabethtown College.

The second phase of the project will include the campus academic buildings.  This phase is projected to be finished by the summer of 2015.  As of right now, the system will only be installed on the exterior doors of these buildings.  Lastly, the third phase of the project will include the remaining administrative buildings and SDLCs.

The system is being put into place primarily to increase the safety of the students, faculty, staff and visitors who may be on campus.  With the new system, campus security will have more control over the entire campus and the doors to buildings themselves.

The system is all electronic and set up so that it can be controlled from a central location. Campus Security will have the power to lock down any of the doors on the system once it is in place. This, and the addition of cameras located at the entrances to buildings, will greatly enhance security on campus.

Individual cards can be programmed in order to allow individuals time-specific access to certain locations, while not allowing them access at other times. Another security measure is a time lock that will be installed on the dorm buildings permitting only residents of that particular building access after 10 p.m. This feature is currently in place in the Founders dormitory and will be applied to all dorm buildings upon completion of the project.

The new system will also avoid some of the problems that come with the current key system. The current system offers the possibility of lost, stolen or broken keys.  When a key is broken in an exterior door for a dorm, the locking cores of the door handles need to be replaced throughout the entire building.  This issue will be avoided all together with proximity swipe cards.

“This project is a joint effort by Facilities Management, Campus Security and ITS,” Director of Facilities Management and Construction Mark Zimmerman said. Each of these departments has specific duties to work along with Simplex Grinell on the project. Simplex Grinell is the main system contractor on the project, and they are an industry leader in life safety and property protection.

They will be installing the system as the main contractor with Fullerton Electric and Builders Specialty Services as sub-contractors.  The project has also involved input from Residence Life, the Business Office and other representatives from the College’s departments that will be affected by the switch.

The price tag on this project is not final, as the project has not yet been completed.  The most recent figures for the project are roughly $925,000 for phase one and $545,000 for phase two. Phase three “should be much less in scope and cost than phase two,” Zimmerman said.

“Facilities Management will provide Residence Life with reports of work progression so that students can be notified in a timely manner of the work,” Zimmerman said. Students will receive email notification if a door will be closed for replacement in advance. If a door is being replaced, it will be secured at all times and students will be redirected to other entrances.