During the summer, Bentley prepares for the new year by discussing changes that they feel will benefit the university. These changes are heavily reviewed and discussed before implementation throughout campus, but they are not always well received. One of the most controversial decisions of the new academic year is requiring card swipes to access all academic buildings. For many upperclassmen, this is an abrupt change from what we have previously experienced, with very little advanced notice of the change. Since arriving on campus, I’ve heard many different thoughts expressed on the choice, and I was curious to see how people might vote if given the option to get rid of the card access for academic buildings. Our readership was recently asked “Are Access Cards a Good Idea?” in a poll published on the Vanguard Instagram page (@thebentleyvanguard) with three possible responses; Yes, No, and Only During Non-Academic Hours. There were approximately 150 students that voted in total, with 20% voting for Yes, 27% voting for No, and 54% voting for swipe access during non-academic hours.
Admittedly the data is pooled from a small sample size, yet there seems to be a shockingly low approval rating amongst the student body. One of the most frequently mentioned frustrations is that not all the doors have tap card access, which was what was demonstrated in the Bentley video explaining the new policy. One student also stated how “it’s super annoying that the doors don’t open on both sides”, to which a member of the class of 2024 added that it would be easier to keep the doors unlocked during the 10-minute passing period. Given the feedback, it stands to reason that there are some changes to consider that would promote a more positive student reception.
With that being said, I believe most students on campus recognize the importance of the extra level of safety that accompanies requiring Bentley IDs to enter academic buildings. Sometimes people pick convenience over safety, but we cannot allow ourselves that luxury when it comes to the safety of our school. I reached out to the Bentley University Police Chief, Francis Bourgeois, to provide a statement as to the importance of card access in our buildings and as to what his thoughts were on the decision.
His statement is as follows: “As Bentley’s police chief, my primary responsibility is to keep us all safe. I recommended that our academic buildings change to ID card access to protect against any threats to our university so that students could focus on their classroom experience and not on who is walking our hallways. The university’s Cabinet, Threat Assessment Team, and Emergency Management Executive Policy Group reviewed the recommendation, so we made the change. Our campus is a safe environment, and this will make it even safer for our students, faculty, and staff.”
The safety concerns that the card access addresses are significant and cannot be ignored. Reverting to open access would raise the safety of the Bentley community into question and is not a viable option for our school at this time. However, as we acclimate to the change at Bentley, I believe that it is a necessity for professional resources on campus to hear the concerns and opinions of the students so that we can all work together to ensure the safety of our school.
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