Editorial: Asleep at the helm
Is lackluster security a problem on La Salle's campus?

April 4, 2007

Recent events have led the Collegian to ponder the safety and efficacy of Security Desk Receptionist (SDR) booths in our residence halls. The question at hand is what can be done to make them safer, while still promoting a friendly and welcoming atmosphere to La Salle and non-La Salle students. This discussion warrants a brief overview of the current layout of the SDR system.

With the exception of the La Salle and St. Teresa Court apartments, all of La Salle’s residences have SDRs located at their entrances. The purpose of these booths, as described by Administrative Services Director Jeffrey Hershberger, is to “limit or to provide access control to the entrance of facilities.” Unfortunately, there are times late at night when the SDRs fall asleep or are not present at all, leaving residence halls open for potential disaster. Why is this happening and do on-campus students care?

It’s not that Administrative Services doesn’t care. In fact, since Hershberger started at La Salle a few years ago, significant strides have been made to make the halls safer. But, just as Hershberger told the Collegian, “There is always room for improvement.”

Between the 22 full-time SDRs, seven part-time SDRs and one temporary SDR, there is someone scheduled to be present in every booth, 24 hours a day. Typically, the only time there is not an SDR at a residence hall is when two have called out. In such an event, there is a backup system in place—the SDR scheduled to relieve the absentee takes his or her place, and/or an SDR Shift Monitor takes a booth. The role of a Shift Monitor is essentially to circulate amongst booths to assist SDRs and make sure they are present and alert. Although they occupy booths when needed, booths become vacant when it is time for the shift monitors to circulate.

However, there is a protocol for leaving booths vacant.

“Priority wise [La Salle] always closes St. Miguel first,” Hershberger explained to the Collegian, “because there is an outside door that is on the Blackboard System.”

The Blackboard System is what allows students to card swipe into buildings, including residence halls. The door to St. Miguel automatically locks at 11 p.m., only allowing on-campus students access to the upperclassmen-oriented townhouse complex.

Recently, there was an issue with the handicap gate in St. Miguel’s SDR booth. Hershberger recalls the incident: “The door that was supposed to lock would not lock, the gate [at the entrance] would not stay closed and the turnstiles were not working.” This malfunction was completely fixed as of March 29, but at certain times March 16 and 17, over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, there was no SDR present in addition to the malfunctions. When Administrative Services learned of the malfunction March 18, the decision was made not to leave the SDR booth at St. Miguel empty. Community Services, Administrative Services’ counterpart, was aware of the problem the morning before.

Another SDR issue La Salle students mull over is why visitors cannot use their non-La Salle school ID during the sign-in process. At colleges such as Drexel University this is possible, but at La Salle a student ID does not suffice. SDRs create a temporary ID for visitors based on a government issued form of ID.

“We learned that many students need their ID for other things,” Hershberger said. “So if they gave up there ID when they check in, and suddenly they need it for something else, they don’t have it.”

How often, though, will a visitor need their non-La Salle ID on our campus? The ban on non-La Salle ID admission is an unnecessary hassle for students trying to entertain guests from off-campus.

There must be some way to make signing in visitors more convenient when an SDR is not available. The Collegian believes Security should work closer with Administrative Services and be more aligned with SDRs. If a booth is empty, SDR Shift Monitors could contact Security to fill in. With a heightened presence of security, the ban on non-La Salle ID admission could be relaxed and our campus would become a more welcoming place for students of other institutions. Indeed, the SDR system has rectifiable flaws, which, with more cooperation between Administrative Services, Community Development and Security, could be fixed easily, with the Lasallian community as a whole receiving the benefits.