By: Ken Kelly
On Sept. 9, Lisa Hall, dean of students and director of Residence Life, issued a new policy regarding residence hall doors, with the goal of making Southern’s campus safer.
Residents of Talge and Thatcher Hall received an email detailing the changes.
“All exterior doors and hallway doors in the residence halls, including the main front doors, will remain locked at all times,” Hall stated in the email.
The decision was made by Administration, Campus Safety and Student Development following a safety assessment conducted several months ago, according to university officials.
“A safety consultant was brought in to evaluate our campus for areas we might want to address to enhance campus security, and locking our residence halls was one of the recommendations,” Hall stated.
She said the decision to move forward with the new policy was not the result of any specific incident on campus.
“We have been discussing this possibility for a very long time,” she stated. “Most of our sister schools have had their doors locked for the residence halls for years, with students having to use their ID cards to enter.”
When asked about the possible impact the change may have on first responders responding to calls at the residence halls, Shawn Haas, associate director of Campus Safety, said that plans are in place to address that possibility.
“There are no issues with first responders gaining access to the building,” said Haas. “Each building is equipped with [a] Knox Box that they have access to; in addition, we also have the ability to issue them emergency access cards during an emergency.”
Following announcement of the updated lock policy, students residing in the dorms have expressed mixed opinions.
Isabella Lagos, a sophomore journalism major and Thatcher Hall resident, thinks the new policy causes inconvenience to students.
“As someone who’s had problems with their key card, I didn’t quite like it,” she said. “I had trouble accessing the building in certain areas… and sometimes there weren’t people around me to help open the doors.”
Nathan Profir, a freshman strategic communications major and Talge Hall resident, felt the policy was a necessary addition.
“I definitely do think, for extra security, it is safer to have the front doors of the dorms locked at all times,” said Profir.
According to Haas, Southern received two reports of trespassing in 2024. As of Sept. 24, no trespass reports have been made for the year 2025.
As the school year continues, Haas urged the Southern community to take precautions to be proactive about crime on campus.
“Report suspicious activity of something that seems out of place,” he said. “Keep vehicles locked and belongings secured and out of sight, lock items when using lockers at the Hulsey Wellness Center and do not leave valuables lying around.”
