New IDs, New Security Policy

Stepping into the Security Office, there is a buzz of activity as students mill around the front desk, vying for attention from one of the guards. A new semester has started, and by the first official day of classes, 1,900 students, faculty and staff have been by to receive their brand new University of Bridgeport identification cards. April Vournelis, the Director of Campus Security, enthusiastically explained how these new cards work.
Considerably more attractive than the old I.D.s, the new cards feature the library and meal card barcodes, and an antenna that will grant students entry into the dormitories. With this comes a new security policy, allowing on-campus students to travel freely between the dorms during the hours from 9am to 9pm. This, and a more complicated procedure for guest sign-ins may be part of a plan to lessen the number of security guards we have on campus. Student workers have begun working night shifts, signing guests in during the wee hours. As another security measure, more than 44 DVD cameras have been placed to monitor all the exits on the first floor of the dormitories.
Some are skeptical, although they are approving of the new look of the cards. One student, Basil George said, “they’re pretty cool, except […] they should keep security guards at Bodine Hall.” One is inclined to agree: will less guards cause more problems on campus? Stringent displinary actions, including “fines and/or arrest” (Residential Life Guest Policies) may deter students and visitors from breaking the rules, and we shall see.