IACC requires card access after hours

The Industrial Agriculture and Communications Center (IACC) is no longer unlocked 24/7.

The change began Aug. 7. After 10 p.m., all external doors to the building are locked automatically. Students are required to use their Bison Cards at designated entrances to enter the building.

The IACC will remain unlocked during regular operating hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

This increased safety measure is part of a campus-wide project initiated in 2011 to enhance safety for students, faculty and staff, according to a news release from the Information Technology Division.

The project emerged from a joint effort between Facilities Management, Telecommunications & Emergency Support Technologies and the University Police and Safety Office. Funding for the project came from student technology fees.

NDSU and Tri-college students who are enrolled for classes are automatically able to access the IACC using their Bison Cards. Card readers are located on the east, northwest and southwest entrances.

The IACC, NDSU’s main computer center, contains several computer clusters, print stations, classrooms and study areas.

Requiring card access after hours is a “bridge” between the two important goals of providing students with 24-hour access to technology and maintaining a safe campus environment, Student Body President Luke Brodeur said in a news release.

Because the IACC was the only facility at NDSU that was unlocked 24/7, the University Police desired to make the building a more secure facility, Ray Boyer, director of the University Police & Safety Office, said.

“[The card access change] was simply a solution which allows the students’ continued access and the University to maintain facility security in keeping with the
overall safety and security efforts of the campus,” Boyer said.

Card access for the IACC is one feature of NDSU’s long-term objective to enhance security for all campus buildings, according to the ITS Division. Card access technology will be included in future plans for all building and remodeling projects on campus. Other features of enhanced security may also include alarms and video surveillance near building entrances.

Other NDSU buildings, including residence halls, downtown buildings and some academic buildings, have had card access for a number of years.

“Card access allows the University to lock the facility, but then also allows those with access to use the facility as appropriate,” Boyer said.

Other advantageous elements of card access technology include an electronic data record of who enters the building, immediate capability to grant or revoke card access and door alarms that report to the University Police Communications Call Center, Boyer noted.