North Gets Card Keys

Thanks to advances in modern technology, students at North House will no longer have to fumble with keys to enter their building after the long walk back to the Quad in freezing winter weather.

North House will begin operating its electronic key card access system today, although the system was first activated last Thursday afternoon.

The system was activated last week to allow time for testing, according to North House Superintendent John J. Cavanaugh.

House Master J. Woodland Hastings said that he became interested in the system after its success in the first-year dorms. All of the first-year dorms have been using key card access since the beginning of the 1992-93 school year.

North House is the first of the 13 upperclass houses to begin using electronic access, said Cindy Langille, the operations coordinator for the Harvard Yard facilities department.

The system, which has also been installed in Mather and Quincy, may be activated in other houses as well, but first "we'll experiment with [it at] North House to see how it goes," Cavanaugh said.

"If the electronic access is accepted at North House and students are happy," then the system may be installed at other houses, Langille said.

The new system will provide more security, Cavanaugh said. The card keys, unlike regular keys, cannot be copied and if someone loses their card,Cavanaugh can deactivate that person's card from acomputer in his office.

Students were notified in advance about thechange. Cavanaugh said that students received aletter in their mailboxes on January 31 informingthem of the change, and received their new accesscards on February 2 or 3.

Though most sophomores are familiar with thesystem because they used it last year, juniors andseniors will have to acquaint themselves with thesystem, Langille said.

Cavanaugh said that he expects a few problemsat first, as with any new system, but that he's"sure it will go smoothly."

"We feel very strongly that it will work well,"he said.

Students interviewed in North House yesterday,however, had mixed reactions to the new electronicaccess system.

"I think it's a good system, but it's justgoing to take some getting used to," said James A.Puzzo '95, a North House resident. "You stillreach for your keys immediately instead ofreaching for the card."

Puzzo added, though, that the new system "isnot an inconvenience in any way."

But North resident Jennifer Y. Lee '95 said, "Iwould prefer that we kept keys because it'sdifficult to keep track of card keys and wealready have room keys.

Students were notified in advance about thechange. Cavanaugh said that students received aletter in their mailboxes on January 31 informingthem of the change, and received their new accesscards on February 2 or 3.

Though most sophomores are familiar with thesystem because they used it last year, juniors andseniors will have to acquaint themselves with thesystem, Langille said.

Cavanaugh said that he expects a few problemsat first, as with any new system, but that he's"sure it will go smoothly."

"We feel very strongly that it will work well,"he said.

Students interviewed in North House yesterday,however, had mixed reactions to the new electronicaccess system.

"I think it's a good system, but it's justgoing to take some getting used to," said James A.Puzzo '95, a North House resident. "You stillreach for your keys immediately instead ofreaching for the card."

Puzzo added, though, that the new system "isnot an inconvenience in any way."

But North resident Jennifer Y. Lee '95 said, "Iwould prefer that we kept keys because it'sdifficult to keep track of card keys and wealready have room keys.