The addition last month of an identification card-swipe security system in Cousens Gym has caught some students off guard, but administration officials say the changes are necessary for the safety of gym-goers and insist they sufficiently publicized the new measure.
The ID card reader at the security desk of the complex's main entrance is one feature of a comprehensive security overhaul that began last spring. The first step was the implementation of an enhanced security infrastructure around the perimeter doors. In addition, students are now being held to a no-exceptions policy if they forget to bring IDs.
The shoring up of the outside doors, which included the installation of alarms, came after a number of reports of non-Tufts-affiliated visitors gaining access to the gym.
Tufts University Police Department Captain Mark Keith said that adequately securing Cousens is not a simple task.
"Cousens is an old complex. It's really several different buildings that have been joined and added to over the past many years. As a result, it's very difficult to control access and egress from the building. In the past, you would find a lot of people who were not supposed to have access to the building would gain access through the perimeter doors," Keith said. "There was a myriad of problems with the perimeter doors, which we tried to address."
Security is not the only reason for the new card-swipe system. "There are large liability implications for having unauthorized users in a complex like this," said Assistant Athletics Director for Athletics, Facilities, Fields and Game Management Tim Troville, who took on his position in August. "While we're trying to limit access to people that should not be using our facilities, at the same time ... we're trying to keep [those who should] safe and also have proper documentation of who these people are."
Not only can Tufts students, faculty, staff and alumni use the gym, but so can local community members. This last faction comprises "a select group of houses that border the Tufts athletic property," according to Troville.
Authorized users can also bring a guest.
"Their signing in is also acknowledgement of releasing the university of liability for any injury that may occur," Troville said.
"Since the new security system has gone into effect, we've had 500 patrons come to renew an ID, when in previous years, we've only had as many as 200 people registered. So it's working as far as helping us track the usage of our gym, which is vital when you're talking about planning for a new facility in the future. You need to have some statistics about what your usage is," Troville said.
Some students feel the changes could have been better publicized. "I didn't know anything about it. When I first saw the machine, I didn't know what to do with it," freshman Kevin Gilchrist said.
Sophomore Jonathan Tatum added that he saw no need for an ID machine. "It seems sort of pointless. They might as well just see your ID. I don't think anyone is going to copy IDs."
Troville said the administration headed a campaign to let students know about the changes. "We had signs for everyone to update their IDs and that a swipe card system would be in effect," he said. "There were also advertisements taken out in [the Daily]. It had been posted all over the Cousens Gym complex in preparation for the system going live."
Some students said the system's benefits outweigh the hassle of needing to remember to bring an ID to each gym visit.
Second-year Fletcher student Josh Goldstein said the inconvenience was minor. "That's inconsequential to me. I really appreciate the [gym's] management," he said.
The card reader was introduced a few weeks ago, and the policy of zero tolerance for patrons without IDs has been in place longer. "A lot of the people that really have legitimate access to the facility have older ID cards that the system would not read," Keith said. "We were hoping to integrate this system at the beginning of the semester but there were some technical problems with the software ... that delayed us from getting the system started."
Troville called the changes an important step. "Security is very important for a building this size, and I think we're heading towards where we want to be," Troville said.
