Industry Vertical
Sophisticated Entrance
Access system deployed to stop tailgating at university student life center
- By Tracie Thomas
- Jan 04, 2016
While many students choose Utah Valley University for its ideal
location, others come for access to a dynamic economy, employment
and career opportunities. Located near the Wasatch
Mountains and known for its high moral climate, the campus
is recognized as one of the safest colleges in the country. Within
a 20 mile campus area, students enjoy winter sports, hiking, mountain biking
and water recreation.
The university has an enrollment of more than 33,000 students, making it the
largest university in Utah. UVU began as a vocational school during World War
II, and in the seven decades since has evolved into a technical school, community
college, state college and a comprehensive regional teaching university. UVU offers
programs ranging from career training to high-demand masters degrees, with
emphasis on undergraduate education.
University Ramps Up Amenities
The university has been experiencing explosive growth in recent years, and to accommodate
the increasing number of students new buildings and facilities have
been constructed. In April 2014, UVU completed construction on a brand new
193,000 square-foot Student Life and Wellness Center (SLWC). Because the center
was so new and modern, planners sought to enlist the most advanced technologies
to make it as safe and secure as possible.
The completed building houses basketball courts, an indoor track, fitness and
dance rooms, workout areas with state-of-the-art equipment, a climbing wall, a
bowling alley, a gaming center and study rooms. In addition, the SLWC provides services
such as massage therapy, and a reflection room that offers a relaxing space for
meditation to help students manage their stress. The center also houses Student Life
offices, UVU’s Student Association, and the student newspaper, the UVU Review.
DaSheek Akwenye, associate director of the Student Life & Wellness Center,
said that Swinglane 900 optical turnstiles constructed by Boon Edam were specified
as entrance access control during the design and construction phase of the
four-floor, $40 million building. All students must enter the facility through a single,
main entrance and then choose one of the three staggered optical turnstiles.
Students can use either their university ID or their handprint to scan in and enter
the facility. ADA compliance is ensured as each turnstile lane uses a wide configuration,
with two swinging gates, and is monitored by staff.
Secure Facility While Maintaining Ease of Use
“If students forget their ID, it takes just seconds to register their handprint for use
with the integrated biometric readers,” Akwenye said. “It’s very convenient.”
The swinging gates operate both ways for entering users, as well as those exiting
the facility.
“The gates and the access control system operate together in such a way that it takes only about six seconds to enter
through the gates and, importantly, only
one person can enter during that period,”
Akwenye said. “Our entrances do
not allow for sneaking in before or after,
and that means we have excellent control
to prevent tailgating into the center.”
User traffic into the student center
runs from 1,200 to 1,500 students, staff
and facility members each day. The
center is open Monday through Friday,
6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday from
8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The reception desk
always has staff on hand as an initial
point of contact for registration, to answer
any questions, and to take care of
any issues that might arise in ensuring
smooth entrance into the center while
preventing unauthorized entry.
Making for a Smooth Transition
Entry solution providers must understand
an end user organization’s “culture,”
and must be able to communicate
the best way for the organization
to adapt to a new security entrance.
To do this, it helps to explore certain
questions such as students’ exposure
to security entrances, achieving buy-in
from students and communicating upcoming
changes.
After installation, a senior executive
from the entrance manufacturer
visited the to educate staff on the use
of the turnstiles and to help users get
acclimated to the brand-new entrance
scheme. This is an essential step, because
new entrance protocols and
equipment are not always 100 percent
intuitive and require a small investment
of time and attention that will pay off
in the long run.
“It took a short while to get used to
the entrances and the procedures, but
once our users got the hang of it, things
have gone very smoothly,” Akwenye said.
Matching the Building Aesthetics and Feel
“Students like the high-tech feel of the
entrances,” Akwenye said. “These turnstiles
bring a very nice, vibrant feel to
our entrance lobby. They have an attractive
design.”
Freshman and new students receive
orientation to the building and the entrance
protocols during an orientation
tour. At that time, each student registers
to use the facility, including the biometric
registration of their hand prints.
The whole process takes less than two
minutes and, afterward, the student is
ready to use the facility either with their
ID or through a biometric scan of their
hand—convenient and fast.
When someone enters the facility,
registration staff get a visual record and
confirmation of who has entered, to ensure
that person belongs to the ID used.
“It’s been really smooth, and even
if we have a large group, like a basketball
team, then we have manual controls,
and we can open the gates and
shut them automatically,” Akwenye
said. “We’ve never had any long lines
or backlog, because if needed we can
open the turnstiles manually, using the
BoonTouch control panel at the desk.
This feature is also critical in case of
emergencies other than a fire, in which
case the gates automatically open.”
This article originally appeared in the January 2016 issue of Security Today.