Cougar Card swipe at a university door The Xavierite
Saint Xavier University sent an email on Dec. 22 announcing they would be reinstating swipe access for all university buildings. In order for SXU community members to get into buildings, they would need their Cougar Card (SXU ID) for door access.
It should be noted that Saint Xavier cannot lock all doors, since multiple buildings on campus serve the public. According to the email, university buildings with open doors include the Ludden Speech and Language Clinic, the Health Center, and Shannon Athletic and Convocation Center (south doors only).
With a big change coming with the new semester, the Xavierite editorial board discussed the reinstatement of Cougar Card swipe access, what it means for the SXU community, and if they have any other safety concerns on campus.
Swipe access has been an important issue among the SXU community in recent years after it was removed in 2022 when COVID-19 regulations were changed in the state of Illinois.
Saint Xavier has not had any safety issues related to swipe access, but many have argued it is a basic safety measure and it is more beneficial to campus safety to keep doors locked to outsiders.
The editorial board unanimously agreed Saint Xavier should have been using swipe access this whole time, but are very grateful it was brought back.
One editorial member mentioned how they thought the unlocked doors were just for the convenience of students, staff, and faculty, but given the amount of school shootings that occur, it was “irresponsible.”
Although Saint Xavier’s campus is in a safe area, the school should still take more safety precautions than less because it decreases risk of safety.
The editorial board also agreed that Saint Xavier has a safe campus, but some members mentioned that because of the recent increase in dangerous and fatal incidents on college campuses, they were worried SXU might be at a higher risk of this happening.
As another editorial board member said, by keeping outsiders from being able to enter buildings freely, “it can lessen the chance of someone coming in the school and harming students or staff.”
Other benefits, as discussed by our board, include some control over who can access the buildings, the ability to track visitors who can only use certain entrances, and a better sense of security and safety in the buildings from the SXU community.
Though, there may be some downsides to swipe access.
A few editorial board members brought up the fact that students may forget their Cougar Cards, something that could be frustrating for different reasons.
Another downside, as mentioned by another member of the editorial board, is “people are polite” and may hold the door open for people behind them. The problem with that is you may not know who you’re letting into a building.
Even with these downsides, the editorial board feels the benefits of swipe access far outweigh the disadvantages.
The main university building being impacted by this change is the Warde Academic Center (Warde). Other university buildings such as the Graham School of Management, the Visual Arts Center, and all the dorm buildings still required swipe access.
Warde is the largest university building and is home to most staff and faculty offices as well as most classrooms, the diner, and many other student areas.
Although Saint Xavier is through just two and a half weeks of the new semester, the general consensus of the editorial board is that they feel safer than they have in the past.
One person said they feel the same as they did last semester, but the feeling of a random person being in the building “is completely gone.”
To this, it was mentioned that it may not be impossible for a stranger to walk into a building, but “it is now much less likely for that to happen.”
With crime on college campuses making news headlines more often, institutions are responsible for keeping the members of their community safe. By reinstating swipe access for all SXU buildings, that is exactly what our administration and public safety is doing for us.
While you may feel inconvenienced by swipe access if you forget your Cougar Card on a chilly or rainy day, remember that swipe access is a basic safety measure to keep us safer.