New Key Cards Open Doors for Residents

Students at Pitt-Greensburg will finally access the dorms in an easier way. Without using a key, students will swipe their own card to unlock the door. More often than not, students tend to forget their key while exiting their dorm room. As a result, they are standing outside of their building, waiting in weather below zero, until their roommates open the door for them to come inside. This key card access system eliminates the worry of the t r a d i t i o n a l key entrance.

“It is installed and currently active in Oakland. They wanted to do it here for years,” said Troy Ross, the Director of Housing and Residence Life.

“It started in 2014 in Westmoreland, but it is still inactive,” Ross said. He further explained that the key card access system was brought up years ago and is still a working process.

The installation of this new system includes cameras outside the residence buildings.

“It is a security enhancement,” Ross said. “Adding cameras will help students feel safe.”

Currently, the card access system is being installed in Apollo, a resident building part of the Academic Villages. A student from the Academic Villages majoring in Chemistry, Michelle Lofink, also stated her thoughts on the matter.

“I am super excited for this key card access. I always have so much to carry with me, so I hope it becomes easier to open the door,” Lofink said.

She was then told that there will be a d d i t i o n a l cameras installed when the system is active.

“The idea of additional cameras is an alright thing with me,” Lofink said. “It provides safety and security. The idea of some stranger walking in is a little scary for me.”

It is a working process and will probably not be complete relatively soon, yet it is a new enhancement for residence halls.