CHLOE KOWALYK
Special to The Leader
As Fredonia continues to allow students to live in dorms and continue in-person instruction, new guidelines have been set in place to ensure the safety of on-campus students.
As of last Friday, students may only enter residence halls from the front door.
Card readers are now installed in front of the RA office in all residence halls. Students will now tap their FREDCards, and an image of their face and the residence hall they live in will pop up on the RA’s computer screen.
This allows RAs to easily determine which students live in each hall and who they are.
According to Kathy Forster, director of Residence Life, the method of using color-coded stickers on one’s FREDCard to distinguish one’s residence hall was always a temporary solution.
“Students are getting creative for ways to visit others,” Forster said, by purchasing the same stickers and propping open the side doors.
The new guidelines do not greatly change the job of RAs and RDs. They simply need to clarify that the student trying to enter actually lives in the residence hall, then clear the computer for the next student entering the building.
Many card readers were tested over the summer, with McGinnies Hall being used as a test hall to experiment with the new method on actual students. The trials began a few days before the email was released to all students explaining the guidelines, and Forster described it as a success.
The new entry system went into effect on Sept. 25, and will be in effect whenever the front desks of the residence halls are staffed, and from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m.
If you do not have your FREDCard handy, you can provide your name to the RA instead.
The only exceptions to these rules are Gregory Hall and University Village.
This system will be in effect until the New York State Department of Health suggests more relaxed restrictions.
The new card reader method was implemented after 197 COVID-related incidents were reported across campus, which was overwhelming for RAs and RDs.
ResLife wants students to stay safe by wearing their masks, practicing social distancing, following campus and state guidelines and not allowing other students into their rooms.
Pool testing will now be increased to 1,000 students per week.
If we continue to have low numbers of positive cases, ResLife hopes to allow students to visit other Fredonia students in the residence halls.
Fredonia student Sam Glorioso feels that residence hall rules “aren’t really that effective.”
She explained that her FREDCard was only checked once or twice the entire semester, all in the first three days of her living on campus.
“People can easily sneak people in through side doors; all you have to do is open it from the inside to let them in. It’s really inconvenient to have to go in the front door every time, especially when your room is right next to a side door,” Glorioso said.
“I just feel like if [ResLife] wants this to be effective, they have to have someone at the desk at all times to make sure you always have to tap your card.”
However, ResLife appreciates students doing their best to continue life in the residence halls and the measures they are taking to stay safe.
Even after 31 years at Fredonia, Forster explains that this year is “different [from] every other year.”
She said that her goal is to “engage students in a safe way, but still build a safe community.”
If students have any questions or concerns, they can reach out to ResLife at reslife@fredonia.edu