Last semester on April 16, 2019, the DiMenna-Nyselius Library and the Department of Public Safety enacted a policy requiring all students and non-students who enter the library to swipe their StagCard or show other identification. This followed an incident of a non-student in the library whose presence caused a group of students to be uncomfortable. At the time, the policy was mostly received by students and faculty to be a positive step towards increasing security on campus. But now, the Stag Card swipe policy is no longer in effect. “I do prefer the swipe in policy because it makes people feel safer at night in particular,” said Elizabeth Ricker ‘22. “It takes the edge off knowing only people that are ‘supposed’ to be in the library are there.”
However some students found it unnecessary. “I initially didn’t like the swipe policy,” wrote Christian Mannio ‘22, who frequents the library, via electronic message. “It didn’t make the library any safer.”
As for the policy’s removal, opinions among students are also mixed “Since the policy’s removal, it has felt no different,” continued Mannio. “I always feel safe on campus and think it made the experience in the library a little bit more restrictive. I prefer not having to swipe in because it makes the library feel like a more welcoming and open area. We have [the Department of Public Safety] for a reason, so the whole swipe thing seemed a bit much.”
Todd A Pelazza, Director of DPS, wrote in a statement via email: “The security of our campus is built around a matrix of interlocking elements. No one of which can or should be evaluated in isolation.”
However, this change may not end up being permanent. Pelazza continued, “We have removed the card swipe at the library on a trial basis because we were satisfied that other compensating elements were sufficient. We expect to revisit that decision periodically or if circumstances change.”
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