Photo Credit: Emily Tyler
Many of Arkansas’ largest college towns report crime rates above the national average, prompting universities across the state to adopt varying approaches to dorm security.
At Arkansas Tech, students currently use traditional keys to access their dorm rooms and swipe their student identification cards to enter the residence halls. Some RAs say the system is reliable but not without challenges.
Cole Bunch, a resident assistant for Wilson Hall says the biggest concern for dorm safety is unlocked doors.
“I haven’t been on the job long, but it seems like people forgetting their keys is quite common,” said Bunch. “The best thing I can say from a RA’s point of view is educating and helping residents understand the safety of locking doors and making sure doors are closed.”
Bunch advises students to take advantage of safety services that Tech offers like Jerry Cares and contacting public safety or the on-call RA in case of emergency.
Though details vary from campus to campus, Tech’s policies align with what many other Arkansas universities already use.
At the University of Central Arkansas, students use virtual ID cards on their phones to enter residence halls and physical keys for their individual rooms. Sophomore Jony Morales said outside visitors must always stay with a resident, and each building has an information desk, though it is rarely staffed.
Morales said he generally feels safe in the residence halls but suggested one improvement: “[I would] have the front desk be occupied more often.”
The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville relies heavily on ID swipes. Kenzi Fortune, a junior, said students must swipe their ID to access parking lots, buildings, and their dorm rooms. Some dorms also use additional layers of security.
“At the dorms I’ve lived in, there was no check-in, but there were cameras at the entrances,” Fortune said.
“There are some dorms on campus that do have check-in desks, though.” She added that while visitors are supposed to check in, many do not follow that rule.
Arkansas State University has similar measures. Students use keys for dorm rooms and ID swipes for building access.
Junior Paige Reynolds said, “I was told that people would steal things by my parents before I moved in, but I haven’t had any problems in the two years I have lived here.”
She added that to make dorms safer, she would replace keys with card readers or a similar system, since keys are easily broken or lost.
Harding University in Searcy enforces stricter rules than many other Arkansas colleges. Freshman Brylee Green said dorm safety is a top priority.
“There’s a front desk always managed by an RA and cameras,” Green said. Due to their gender specific dorms, “outside females must check in, and outside males must wait in the lobby.”
She added that installing card readers for dorm rooms would make her feel more comfortable on campus.
Overall, while approaches vary, Arkansas colleges continue to explore ways to balance security and convenience for their students.
For more information:
- Visit ATU’s Residence Life website at atu.edu/reslife
- To file a Jerry Cares report, go to cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?ArkansasTechUniv&layout_id=1.
- Contact ATU Public Safety at 479-968-0222.
