Students may not be aware that they already have access to residence halls other than their own. This week, the Office of Residential Life finished implementing a new regional card access system, under which students can get into not only their own residence halls but also those within their region.
In the past, card access was largely limited to individual dorms, with the exception of some complexes including Vartan Gregorian Quadrangle and the Graduate Center towers.
The primary goal of the new system is to increase the sense of community among first-year students, according to Richard Bova, senior associate dean for ResLife. The system links Perkins Hall with Keeney Quadrangle in one region; Hope College, Littlefield Hall and Wayland House in another; and the first-year dorms on Pembroke Campus in another.
Though the system was designed largely with first-years in mind, Bova said he sees the change as an improvement for all of the University's on-campus residents. Residence halls for upperclassmen have also been grouped into regions, with the exceptions of the program houses and buildings on Wriston Quad.
The Office of Residential Life plans to announce the change officially next week in an e-mail to Residential Peer Leaders, who will then inform their residents which other dorms they have access to, Bova said. ResLife has delayed the announcement of the new system because the Brown Card Office just completed the process of upgrading card readers to handle a higher number of cards, Bova said.
The Undergraduate Council of Students and Residential Council initiated discussions with ResLife about a new system for card access last semester, according to Bova. UCS members offered a proposal for universal card access, while ResCouncil proposed a regional system. Both proposals, Bova said, were geared toward strengthening community among residential students, especially first-years.
The issue of universal card access, which has been "revisited many times over," has been put aside for the time being, according to Dave Cardoza, technical and support systems manager for the Department of Public Safety. Both Cardoza and Bova said that they have concerns about the safety risks that would come with universal card access.
Cardoza said he believes universal card access would be "a step in the wrong direction," calling the regional system "a good compromise." He said it was "hard to say" what the change would mean for DPS.
Bova said ResLife plans to monitor the new system over the course of the academic year and see how students respond.
Justin Glavis-Bloom '07, chair of ResCouncil, said he is excited about the change. "I can't speak for all members of ResCouncil individually, but, personally, I welcome ResLife's continued efforts to experiment with new ways of building community and encouraging relationships among Brown's residential population," Glavis-Bloom said.
He also said he believes universal card access, either for the entire campus or just among first-years, is still a possibility, perhaps depending on how the regional system works this year.
Brian Becker '09, chair of the campus life committee of UCS, echoed Glavis-Bloom's enthusiasm and added that UCS polls conducted last year showed students "were generally in favor" of an expanded card access system.
Dan Denorch '08 said he supports a regional system but believes the University "might as well do universal" if it expands card access. He said he is not concerned about increased risk. "If you see somebody you don't recognize (in your building), eyebrows will be raised," and someone will call DPS, Denorch said.
Deborah Saint-Vil '10 agreed, saying she supports regional access but would support universal access as well. She also said she doesn't think the expansion to regional access will "really make a difference" to her.
Mike Schwarz '08 and Michael Mak '08 were also supportive of the regional system but unsure of how it will affect them. "People do tend to know people in dorms around them," so the regional system would make it easier for friends to see each other, Schwarz said. At the same time, "it's pretty easy to get in (to other dorms) anyway."
