South Hall's keyless entry system, Jumbofob, has been a huge success since its implementation last fall. Despite its peculiar nomenclature, students rave about the quicker, easier access to the dorm, and the University has not experienced any problems with the system during the first few months. Tufts should make further plans to install keyless entry across campus.
A committee to examine the issue has been in place since the beginning of last semester. Composed of representatives from the Office of Public Safety, Residential Facilities, the Dean of Students office, and the TCU Senate, the ubiquitous committee has yet to issue any definitive report on Jumbofob, either on its usability or its future.
While no other dorms on campus have the wiring technology necessary to handle Jumbofob, this should not deter Tufts from pushing ahead with the program. It eliminates the cumbersome process of replacing the locks and keys on dorms annually. Instituted campus-wide, the saved labor and cost from this - not to mention replacing lots of stolen keys - would add up. If Ballou needed any further proof of the economic value of Jumbofob, it could look to the strings of lawsuits facing universities across the country from students who were assaulted or robbed in their residence halls
Most importantly, Jumbofob allows public safety officials to monitor when doors lock and unlock. This helps police determine when students prop building entrances, the most widespread and largest threat to security in dorms. After last semester's armed robbery in South Hall, the approval and expansion of the much safer entry would system would seem even more ogical.
The system also reduces safety threats because any lost fobs can be deactivated immediately, before anyone else can use them to enter a building. Nobody at Tufts wants to replicate the elaborate and burdensome security measures that schools like BU already employ, but the University must be aware of its growing liability. Jumbofob presents the rare opportunity to increase security while also increasing comfort.
