Coyote Card updates bring added safety to dorms

Coyote ID cards are going to be getting a little more use starting this year after changes were made to dorm access and laundry facilities over the summer.

Dorms on campus are being converted to replace key entry with Coyote Card access only.

Dean of Students Kim Grieve said the change is one that many universities are moving toward.

“Really, it’s a safety issue,” Grieve said. “We’re going to try to move toward all swipes for all of the doors in housing, but this is our initial step, is to do the outside doors first.”

She said the outside door security is an upfront expense.

“In the long run, if we had key issues, it would be saving money, but you know, it’s not because of the money,” Grieve said. “It’s really because it’s the right thing to do to increase the safety of students.”

Brookman Hall desk worker, Erin Rasmussen, said she’s never been worried about safety in the dorms.

“I was never, like, worried that somebody was going to come in, like anything terrible was going happen,” Rasmussen said.

Though a senior living off-campus this year, she said she can still appreciate the changes being made to the dorm entrances.

“It’s more secure and it’s easier to see who’s in the building and stuff like that, and it is more modern, so that’s nice,” Rasmussen said.

Laundry facilities in the dorms will only accept Coyote Cash beginning this semester, which means students will have to add money to their account before using any washer or dryer.

“All of the laundry now is swipe activated, no more coins,” Grieve said. “I just think this makes it so much easier.”

Rasmussen said she enjoyed getting coins for the machines, but can appreciate the simplified system.

“It is a lot easier than trying to find quarters or, like, if you don’t have any here,” she said.

A lot of residents used to come to the front desk to ask for quarters in exchange for dollars, Rasmussen said.

Senior Katie Keitges lived in North Complex her first three years and worked as a resident assistant. She now lives in Coyote Village and doesn’t think students living there will see much of a change.

Keitges said North Complex and Burgess/Norton residents will likely experience the most change as far as door entry and laundry facilities go.

“It really depends on what kind of person you are,” she said. “Quarters, they work, but they can also be kind of a pain.”

In addition to laundry, Coyote Cash funds can be used at all flex locations on campus and various vendors in Vermillion.