Locks to Bathrooms Ineffective Solution

Late night trips to the bathroom just got a little harder for the residents of many first-year dorms. After a vagrant was discovered showering in the second floor bathroom of Hollis Hall North, the administration moved quickly to install key-locks in all dorms with common bathrooms (with the exception of Matthews Hall, which already boasts combination locks on its doors).

Though we appreciate the prompt reaction to a serious breach of security, the installation of key locks on the bathrooms is an inconvenient overreaction. While requiring a key to use the bathroom may prevent any more unwelcome visitors, it will also hinder the residents of the dorms and their guests. What if a first-year from Mass. Hall stops by Stoughton and cannot use the bathroom because no one is there to let her in? What if an out-of-town guest gets up in the middle of the night and can't find the key? What about the number of residents who will no doubt forget their keys, locking themselves out of both their rooms and their bathrooms. As Adam E. Cohen '01 of Weld Hall points out, "If you've got to go and you've forgotten your key, it would be unpleasant." Security is necessary, but why not install combination locks like those in Matthews, eliminating the need for extra keys and extra grief?

The bathroom locks do not provide a solution to the true problem--that entrance through the main doors of the dorms is just too easy. Yard Facilities Manager Merle A. Bicknell performed an unscientific test of security, gaining access to all first-year dorms without either identification or a key. Students should certainly keep closer watch on who's walking into their dorms behind them, but a more tangible solution might be to provide all students with universal key-card access. No longer would students assume that someone being let in is a fellow undergraduate without a key.