Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson is now contemplating a decision as to whether the College should lock the exterior doors of all residence halls. He is rightly listening to the student outcry that resulted from simply the consideration of such a decision. According to Nelson's statements yesterday, the most likely alternative to leaving dorms unlocked would be a card swipe system. Estimates from the Residential Safety Committee indicate that such a system would cost $425,000 to install and an additional $5,000 annually to maintain.
If Nelson does ultimately decide to install a card swipe system, it would be a tragic use of funds that could be supporting more useful services. The administration constantly tells students that a lack of funds stands in the way of improvements in student life. It would be hypocritical for the administration to then spend close to half a million dollars on an unnecessary and unwelcome change.
The money could benefit students in any number of ways -- from social space to student groups to financial aid. Hundreds of students recently donated hours of their time in order to raise $450,000 in the Alumni Phonathon. We told the alumni and alumnae of the College that their money was going to support students in the form of financial aid and student programming among other worthy causes.
If the College approves this decision, it will be spending a comparable sum of money on something unecessary that students have already voiced opposition to. It will provide little or no improvement to, and may well subtract from, the overall undergraduate experience at Dartmouth -- unlike the plethora of financially needy areas of student life which greatly enrich and supplement life at the College.
The decision remains uncertain, and Nelson is weighing the anti-lock mandate that students have delivered in multiple surveys. The administration should be reminded that if the College is going to devote such a large amount of money to a cause that will undoubtedly change lives of students, the funds should at least go to that which students support.