New security system at the Wimberly Library
The Boca campus library will soon soon require students to present their Owl Cards after 10 p.m. as part of a new turnstile entry system.
Alexander Rodriguez | Contributing Photographer
April 2, 2017
The next time students plan to go on an all-night cramming session at the Boca campus library, they must not forget their “golden ticket” for entry — their Owl Card.
In an effort to increase campus safety, the S.E. Wimberly Library, along with the FAU Police Department, is looking to install a security system that would require all students to swipe their Owl Card at gates upon entering and exiting the building at night.
According to FAU’s Minor Projects sheet, initial installation of the gates has been completed.
Currently, all that’s in place are the terminals where students will swipe their Owl Cards. The next part of construction will be the addition of glass barriers to prevent students from entering the library without identification.
Although a date for the full installation has not been officially determined, once it’s established, students will be required to slide their Owl Card in the gate after 10 p.m. If a student forgets their card after this time, they will not be allowed inside the library.
“Security in the library is being enhanced because it is a high traffic area,” Sean Brammer, the interim chief of police of the FAU Police Department, said via email.
The entry system will be similar to that of Florida State University’s Strozier Library system, which was implemented in 2010 upon renovations.
In November 2014, an FSU campus shooting resulted in three students being shot outside of the library. It was the library’s security system that prevented the shooter from gaining access to the inside of the building.
“At [the] FSU library, the individual wasn’t able to get inside. Inside students weren’t injured,” Steven Matthew, head of access services at S.E. Wimberly Library, said.
He added, “We are an open campus. More security, more safer. There’s a lot of school shootings, we even had a couple of lockdowns.”
The library has been equipped with preventive measures, such as the “Active Shooter Emergency Response Guides” that have been placed in study rooms to teach students how to act in a possible shooting.
Included in the response guide is a five-step procedure known as “ALICE,” which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter the Attack and Evacuate.
Brammer said in an email, “This was done to enhance the safety of the library after hours, with a push for the library to be open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.”
Jillian Marsh is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her @J_Alliyah007.
Chady Awad • May 29, 2017 at 5:44 pm
Greetings Jillian Marsh,
I hope you are enjoying Memorial Day and staying safe. My name is Chady Awad and I am writing you on behalf of myself and a at least a few other students that I heard complain about this same issue that i am addressing in that email. We are all in the medical field. Four of my friends are studying for their MCAT And I am studying for my usmle step 1 board exam. We tend to study all day everyday and sometimes we try to avoid staying up late and studying long hours but it’s inevitable when your striving to succeed in the medical field. Last night I was at the business building in one of the classrooms and a cop came in there and asked us very nicely to leave and that he understands that we mean no harm but there has been students or people coming into the classrooms and stealing the projectors. I noticed that there was at least 10 students in that building trying to find a peaceful environment like the classes in the business building to study also for their board exams, that’s what we do everyday, even during holidays like Easter or Memorial Day. Furthermore, I wasnt really bothered at all with the request, if anything I felt good about it since the officer was really nice and understandable of our effort and I even felt safer since he took the initiative to protect the FAU campus. Now my/ our main concern is the Jewish center. The Jewish center has and will always be the best place to study at, even if you decided to stay late hours overnight. A few days ago I was there studying and it was around 1230am I believe, and a male student (that’s what we all think at first) walked into the Jewish center, he was wearing a sweat shirt that was looked protruded around the area of his abdomen. Believe me I felt something like I’ve never felt before. And to my surprise the student that was sitting beside me looked at me at the same time and gave me that scared look. At first I thought I was over analyzing since I had just seen the bombing that happened in Manchester the day before. I got this feeling in my knees and that overwhelming anxiety to the point where I had to get up and go outside on the balcony of the Jewish center. What made me think and feel like that you’re wonder? The kid walked in (2nd floor) very slowly, with his feet dragging on the floor. You can tell he didn’t belong there. He walked up to the middle between all the tables, the two study room and the cubicles behind him, stood there, looked around, then turned and went and sat in the floor behind the cubicles with his back to the glass windows of the balcony. Mind you, I’m standing far outside watching him thinking this guy is going to blow up the building GOD forbid. He was acting very strange. A few minutes went by, he stood up, walked back to the middle of the room, stood there, then while walking toward the stairs he stopped by my table stared at my stuff for literally 2 minutes, I had some snacks laying there then he went down to the first floor. I started approaching to see where he is. I look down and he’s standing there outside trying to talk to a random student that I can tell was trying to get out of the conversation. Then he looks up to me, the other student went in. The kid started talking to me. Why is it so quiet here? Is there more students that come here to study or is it always slow like that? (I’m here thinking this guy is trying to check out th building so he can come and bomb it next time) then he asked to borrow my phone and I told him to go to the library and maybe they’ll let u use the phone. He went on about how depressed he is and that he has no money at all. I told him not only that I have no money but I have loans that add up to $156,000 I owe for medical school and I’m still in my 3rd year. I was super nice to him cz that’s how I was brought up. Then I told him you gota do what you gota do, pray and work hard and you will be fine. Then I dunno if he was lying or not, but he said that he was Muslim and his parents never taught him to read or speak Arabic so he can’t pray. I didn’t wana get into his religion convo too much so i changed the subject and told him that I wish I could help more but I have to go back and study again. Then he left. He was wearing flip flops, the soles of his feet were dirty and dark from not showering and his clothes weren’t clean neither. He was wearing glasses and he had a beard and his hair was a very dark blond to beige. To conclude this and I’m sorry it was long, but this was serious. I went back in There and told the other student about my convo with the stranger and he decided to pack his stuff as well and never return to the Jewish center. What if? What if this kid was trying to check out the place and do some kinda suicidal attempt. I mean aren’t those the kinda people that they advantage of!? Depressed, homeless, illiterate people that lost hope about everything and committing suicide wouldn’t be a thing that will phase them? I / we only need one thing to be take. Care of as soon as possible. Instead of having a cop car for example, parked by the stadium at night since there’s no students there to protect, will you please I beg you, to put in a request to leave a cop’s car parked by the front of the library and also have a cop or any kind of patrol check in the Jewish center during overnight hours every hour at least. And maybe out a sign on the door warning about weapons or soliciting but at the same time to scare anybody that even tries to go in there to do anything but studying. There’s always homeless people coming into the Jewish center that shower in the bathrooms and take over the only two closed rooms available upstairs to sleep in them. It’s ok if your a student studying late and want to take a power nap in there to get back to studying but it’s totally unacceptable for strangers to come in there and just take over rooms and space that people like us are trying to make something out of their future. I am not trying to be heartless, believe me, I love to help people and I’m only happy when people around me are healthy and happy. But I am more manly that it could get and I shit my pants (excuse my French) that night. We would really appreciate your help and I hope this time something will be done about this huge issue that’s been going on for a while now because a few people told me they complained before, and patrol was going there once in awhile but it was never during night time. Thanks again and have a blessed day.