Tori Bedsole
News Editor
The key fob system across campus crashed on Friday, Jan. 19, leaving on-campus residents with limited access to dorms while an anticipated $250,000 upgrade takes place, according to officials in the key fob office.
Daniel Wilson, coordinator of card access, said the system crashed because it is outdated.
“Our fob system is older and, basically, it crashed over the (Christmas) break and we had to reprogram a lot of people, and the same thing happened last week (Friday),” Wilson said.
The upgrade process will take place in blocks of five buildings, according to Wilson.
“They just finished with Pace (Hall), and they are fixing to move to Hamil (Hall) where security is,” Wilson said. “We are just upgrading to a new system because the other one has gotten to the point where it’s not reliable.”
According to Wilson, the process is complicated, which is why there is no anticipated completion date for the project.
Dean of Student Services Herbert Reeves said the project should be completed by the end of the semester.
“It took a couple months to get the first five buildings approved and parts ordered and equipment in,” Wilson said. “It’s going to take some time to get it all changed over.
“We can’t do it all at one time.”
Reeves said residence halls will upgraded first, with other campus buildings following.
“It is approximately $5,000 to $6,000 per building depending on the number of readers on each building,” Reeves said.
According to Wilson, dorms are being scheduled to remain open from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. while the upgrade takes place. Tanner Hames, a sophomore in the interpreter training program from Birmingham and a resident of Shackelford Hall, said the fob system crash has been an inconvenience for him.
“I’m a night shift worker at Panera Bread, so I leave for work around 8 p.m. and get off of work and back to Troy between the hours of 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. depending on my shift,” Hames said. “Because of the key fob system being down, I can’t get back into my dorm when I get back to Troy from work.
“I know there were signs posted saying to plan accordingly by making sure you’re back by midnight or communicating with your roommate about letting you in if you come back after that time, but I do not have a roommate to ask to let me in, and I cannot just call off work to make sure I’m back in the dorm by their specific time.”
Hames said he is dissatisfied in the time schedule since he is paying for a room he doesn’t have full access to.
“I’ve had to call multiple people during the morning hours to try and let me in because I have no other place to go,” Hames said.
“I do not have a scholarship that pays for my dorm so I pay out of pocket, and the fact that I cannot even get into the building that I live in when needed is frustrating.”
Students will have to get their fobs reprogrammed as the buildings are upgraded.