New policy requires corps barracks locked at 11 p.m. same as civilian dorms

By Daryl Buttrick
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

In an effort to make corps dorms as secure at night as their civilian counterparts, Norwich security officers have begun locking all dorm entrances at 11 p.m., in accordance with Norwich University security regulations.

All dormitory doors are locked on weekdays at 11 p.m. and remain locked until 6 a.m. the following morning. Doors in civilian dorms are locked by the resident advisor (RA) on duty in the dorm, and corps dorms are locked by security personnel, according to RA Jarod Prior, 19, a junior architecture major from Tampa, Florida.

This is a new change to the corps dorms and is a "preventive measure," said vice president of student affairs and commandant, Michael McKean.

According to McKean, the purpose of this preventive measure is "to provide maximum security we can provide for our students."

McKean said that theft and other crime is not much of an issue here at Norwich, and that students hear about most of the major crimes here on campus.

On the other hand, Prior said, "there is quite a bit of theft that you just don't find out about," and that this may lead to other crimes, such as students taking matters into their own hands.

Some students expressed concern that that the doors are locked too early.

"It would be more appropriate to say midnight, because sometimes a lot of people [are] in the library past 11 p.m. [and] lose track of time," said Dustin Buttrick, 21, a psychology major from Eliot, Maine.

"I think 11 p.m. is a good time," said Aaron Gilbert, 19, a history major from Agawam, Mass. "People should have their keys with them that late at night, anyway."

McKean said that it is Norwich's goal to put in place a system in which students would swipe their ID cards to get into every building. But this is planned for far into the future, and would eliminate having to lock the doors only at night, because all dormitories would be locked 24 hours a day.

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