Cass Building Security Heightened, 24 Hour ID Card Swipe Mandated

24 hour admittance to the Com wing of the Cass Building is now permitted by card swipe only. | Samantha Battersby/The Minaret

Editor’s note: The Minaret has posted an update on this story online, which can be read by clicking here.

Beginning Tuesday, anyone who attempted to get into the Communication wing of the Cass Building were met by a locked door and a sign reading, “You must swipe your UT ID at all times to gain access to the labs. The labs are closed to students all other times.”

Students were informed of the change in an email sent Monday by the associate chair of the communication department, Dr. Andrew McAlister.

“Utilizing your card to allow entry to others is a violation of the University of Tampa Spartan Code and will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct immediately,” the email read. “Under no circumstances should you prop doors open, or open the door for people knocking from outside.”

The new exterior door access schedule:

Mon-Thurs: card access 7:45 a.m.-midnight; closed at midnight

Fri: card access 7:45 a.m.-10 p.m.; closed at 10 p.m.

Sat: card access 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed at 6 p.m.

Sun: card access 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; closed at 10 p.m.

In a phone interview, McAlister explained that additionally, “in the Cass Annex, we have asked that faculty use the deadbolts and students must make an appointment or call the professor to open the door. My understanding is that we are going to add swipe access to the Cass Annex eventually.”

McAlister also mentioned at the end of his email that everyone who has class in the building already has access on their ID card, but if there are any problems, they are asked to report them to Corey George (cgeorge@ut.edu).

According to Kevin Howell, the head of campus security, “Building access is usually determined by faculty, unless it is completely unreasonable. In the end, the ones that it affects is the students and faculty.”

Students seem to find the new security measures inconvenient, but understand that they are necessary.

“It’s kind of annoying but they are trying to do all they can to keep us safe,” said sophomore pubic relations major Sandy Huynh.

Senior electronic, media art and technology major Hannah Nye agreed, saying, “It is nice to know that security is stepping up on something like this, but other students may see it as a hindrance.”

McAlister addressed this potential annoyance during the phone interview, confirming, “Once we have card swipe access, if it were to be permanent, it would not be seen as obtrusive. There are a lot of places on campus that have ID card access. We know this is inconvenient and off-putting and we are hoping to get past off-putting so it is just inconvenient. In the meantime, we don’t like what it is doing to the atmosphere, but it will pay off by keeping everyone safe.”

When asked about the reason behind the change in security, he said, “There is not much I can comment on.”

Several sources have stated the security measures are a response to an ongoing situation involving a former student threatening at least one professor in the communication department.

Although there is no official confirmation that the building’s heightened security is related to this alleged situation, a student lab assistant in the Cass Building who requested anonymity, said, “I heard that a man was harassing professors and trying to get into the Cass Labs.”

She displayed a flier that features a picture of a man and notes, “If you see this person, immediately call Security at x7777 or 813-257-7777!” . The flier was hung by the lab assistant desk.

Junior film major Andrew Gaines has also seen the flier behind the desk of the Cage in the Cass Building where he works. “He has the entire campus to cause trouble and I am sure people would spot him,” Gaines said.

Huynh also noted, “I know there’s a crazy white guy going around threatening professors. My mass media professor told me.”

It seems that only individuals who work in the Cass Building have been informed of the situation, as many students who were asked about it had no idea about the situation.

“I got an email about it, but I don’t know anything about it,” said freshman graphic design major Leah Palmquist.  “Personally, it doesn’t bother me because it is not much harder to swipe my ID.”

While some students may fear for their safety, McAlister said that no one was in danger. “If any of us did think that,” he said, “we would be doing something very different than what we have done.”

Shivani Kanji can be reached at shivani.kanji@spartans.ut.edu.