New security increases campus safety
Sirens and software added to security system
Security has been updated across campus to include new locks, Connect-Ed, Active Crawl, an emergency siren and more.
A new automatic door locking system has been installed and will use a proximity card, a keyless access card system, to unlock the doors. Computer labs and office areas have these new locks to prevent the rooms from being open longer than necessary.
“There have not been major problems so far, but the new locks are a preventative measure to reduce the potential for theft,” said Steve Buchko, Director of Safety, Security and Custodial Services.
The office areas will be unlocked during office hours, but after that, a proximity card will be needed to enter the room. All full-time UCC employees have a card and part-time employees can get one with approval from an appropriate Executive Council member.
“I think that the proximity cards can be a good way to track who is coming in and out of the building,” said NiAodagain, French and Spanish Intructor.
Another security feature is Blackboard Connect or Connect-Ed. It is a data based notification system which will send out alerts via phone, voice, text, email, etc. Connect-Ed notifies participants of campus wide closures due to snow days or campus emergencies.
“I think Connect-Ed is a good program to sign up for. It is very useful to know of campus closures and emergencies before people get to school,” said Christopher Conner, full-time UCC student. “So far I haven’t received any notification from it, but I guess that means campus is open.”
UCC security installed this technology about 2 years ago. There are 2,500 spots to sign up, but only 970 people have signed up. To get updates via this security feature, students need to go to Riverhawk Web and click the “student sign-up for campus/emergency alerts” button. Tests have been run to make sure Connect-Ed is working properly, but if students who have signed up have not received a notification then it doesn’t hurt to sign up again.
“I would encourage everyone to sign up for Connect-Ed,” said Buchko.
Active Crawl has been added to the security system to automatically deliver a text crawl directly to the computer desktops on campus. The text is delivered as a pop-up text bar along the bottom of the computer screens. All desktop computers on campus are set up and receive these messages within minutes of being issued.
An emergency siren has been installed and tested to notify staff and students outside of buildings of emergency. It can be heard in all areas of campus and can be activated only by a radio control panel in Buchko’s office. Both the siren and Active Crawl are for major emergencies and are intended to notify staff and students of evacuations.
Security calls have been missed in the past due to faulty cell phone service. To fix this issue, Buchko worked with Rio Communications to design a system that will catch the calls. A new phone network was created using internal and external antennas spread throughout campus. Five security phones interlock through a phone tree. If a call is not picked up after four rings on line one, it gets sent to line two and on down the line. All land based campus phones can be notified of any campus emergency when the SOS button is activated.
“The President and Board of Directors take the safety of students very seriously,” stated Buchko. “Which is why they gave me the budget to turn this campus into one of the safest community colleges in the state.”
| The Mainstream is a student publication of Umpqua Community College. | About us | Advertising | Archives |