Universal Keycard Access Requires Only Master Approval

After three years of convincing and cajoling the administration, and of posturing and promising the student body, the Undergraduate Council appears poised to deliver on one of its oldest promises--Universal Keycard Access (UKA)--to all 12 upperclass Houses.

If all goes as the council has planned, the Masters of all 12 Houses will convene at University Hall this Wednesday and agree to open their doors to any upperclass keycard in the College. The decision, says council President Noah Z. Seton '00, could be implemented by the time students return from winter break.

With Eliot House's 143-35 vote last Sunday, all 12 House Committees have now voted to endorse the move to UKA. The council whisked through legislation expressing their approval of UKA last night and, most importantly, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68--once lukewarm to the idea of UKA--is now one of its most ardent supporters.

"I'm now persuaded that the safety arguments [about UKA] are at worst neutral and probably are in favor of UKA overall. And other considerations are strongly in favor of it," Lewis wrote in an e-mail message.

It is unclear whether a few recalcitrant House Masters may stand in the way of the proposal. Last night, Winthrop House Master Paul D. Hanson told The Crimson that he did not anticipate a change in his House's limited UKA policy.

But Seton says he is confident the measure will pass--and soon.

The outlook was not always so rosy.

The Opposition

Former Undergraduate Council President Lamelle D. Rawlins '99 first approached Lewis about UKA in the spring of 1997, but says he was not sold on the idea of UKA.

"We did have meaningful dialogue, but in the end, [Lewis] was not willing to go all the way on this issue," she says.

Though the bill failed in Lewis' Committee on House Life in 1997, it allowed student members to learn what the administration's concerns: UKA would compromise the security of upperclass Houses.

The College has long upheld a "two-door" policy with respect to safety--

at least two locked doors should shield a student's room from the outside world. Many House Masters were wary of giving access to large swaths of the campus--as well as potential intruders, who could more easily "piggyback" into the building.

"For House Masters, safety is the primary concern, for both persons and personal belongings," says Quincy House Master Michael Shinagel. "It was [originally] thought that some Houses were not compliant for universal access."

Armed with an understanding of the College's misgivings, council leaders set out to dispel them.

Building a Case

The Houses, council leaders argued, would actually be safer with UKA.

Building a Case

"We felt it was important for students, especially women, to have access to all Harvard Houses in the case of an emergency," Rawlins says. Also, "with universal keycard access, students will be more vigilant in not letting in people who should not have access to Harvard buildings."

The failure to convince the administration to institute a blanket, campus-wide policy on UKA changed the focus of the council's lobbying efforts.

Then-council President Beth A. Stewart '00 met with individual House Masters and lobbied for change on a house-by-house basis.

The idea, says council treasurer Sterling P. A. Darling '01, was to convince the administration of the workability of UKA through successful test runs in some houses and campus-wide surveys of student interest in the matter.

Stewart convinced several Houses to enact some form of UKA. Quincy was by far the most ambitious, and became the only House to allow non-Quincy residents to swipe in 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Quincy House Master Michael Shinagel says that he has noticed no ill effects from the decision--yet.

"So far we've been lucky," he says.

Yale University, according to Lewis, has boasted universal keycard access at all its residential colleges for many years, without any difficulties.

In addition, the College's 1998 survey of House life found that 95 percent of Harvard undergraduates supported UKA.

Armed with a year-and-a-half of data supporting UKA, Darling returned to the Committee on House Life on Nov. 6, and again made the case for UKA.

According to Darling, the committee of students and House Masters endorsed UKA unanimously, but wanted to double-check the matter with individual House committees.

Now, with the approval of all 12 House committees, Darling and Seton say they are confident the Masters will follow suit at Wednesday's meeting.

"There's wasn't a definite agreement, but I can't imagine the masters won't take [the House Committee vote] into account," Seton says.

Masters' Minds

Although student opinion seems to favor universal access, support does not yet seem to be unanimous.

When the Kirkland House Committee voted on the issue, a final tally of 10-7 revealed only a slight majority of support for 24-hour access, according to Benjamin A. Lanson '00, former chair of the Kirkland House Committee.

Without overwhelming support from the House Committee, Kirkland House Masters say they are not yet ready to endorse universal access because they want to be sure that no students will feel uncomfortable with increased accessibility into the House.

"Masters must bear in mind the interests of all their House residents, including those students who do not favor universal keycard access," says co-Master Cathleen K. Pfister. "House Committees may not necessarily represent such students' legitimate concerns. I have always been ambivalent about the issue."

Lewis said ultimately nothing can be determined until the House Masters meet on Wednesday, and discuss the remaining concerns.

"Nothing affecting the Houses so importantly can work without substantial support from the Masters," Lewis says.