In a USG Senate meeting Sunday evening, members discussed the possible relationship between the 24-hour dormitory lockdown and the civil liberties of students and faculty.
According to Public Safety Systems Administrator Barry Weiser, a computer in Stanhope Hall keeps track of the time and location of each prox use, providing a real-time record of the buildings people enter on campus.
USG president David Ascher '99 said the civil liberty issue would have to be addressed before the USG Senate could make a final evaluation of the 24-hour lockdown.
"It's too easy to access (prox entry) data," Ascher said. "It seems like there is a lot of potential for abuse."
Undergraduate Life chair Dana Berneman '99 agreed that access to the prox entry information was an important issue. "A lot of people have a problem with, as David says, Big Brother watching over the students," she said.
Protecting liberties
Berneman said Public Safety is currently in the process of rewriting the access policy that relates to the prox-use archives. "They are making a sincere attempt to protect student liberties," she said.
Ascher said Public Safety has already begun to limit its use of the entry data. "They've disabled their monitors, so they can't see routine entry events," he explained. "What we've asked is that they add the guarantee, written in the access statement, that they will use the information only in an emergency situation."
Weiser said Public Safety officers can no longer read the access data without the signatures of the Dean of Student Life and the Director of Public Safety.
"We put a menu option up that hides the names as they flash up," Weiser explained. "We're trying to get the local vendor (Corporate Security Services) to write software to remove that option except in emergencies. Right now we just have it physically blocked."
"Before, it was a rolling screen of names," Weiser said. "At night, it's moving so fast, you can't even read it, because so many people are using their proxes."
Weiser said the archive information could be used in emergency situations, as outlined in the "Access Control" site on the Public Safety Web page. According to Weiser, due to limited hard drive space, the access history currently goes back about 30 days.
"When we go to 24 hours, it will be even shorter. If you don't access the history within a few days, it will be gone," Weiser said.
USG members also discussed other building entry options, such as the "Telekey system," which is currently available in most dorms. Telekey allows people inside the building to unlock the dorm door by pressing five when speaking to someone using a phone outside the entrance.
"There is going to be a major awareness program about the Telekey system in the future," Berneman said.
'Easily programmable'
Berneman also said the University electronic lock system "is easily programmable," allowing students to request that Public Safety disable the alarm on a certain door so it can be propped open.
Weiser agreed that Public Safety could "send a patrol car and open a dorm door," although he warned it would not be done too often and not without a specific reason.
"We're not locking down so we can routinely send officers to open doors," Weiser said.
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