Locks are replaced throughout every UP building because of missing master keys.
(Kevin Kadooka -- The Beacon)
By Natalie Wheeler Staff Writer wheelern12@up.edu
A missing set of campus master keys led Physical Plant to replace every lock on every building the University owns – including dorms, academic and administrative buildings and University-owned rental houses off campus.
The keys were discovered unaccounted for on Aug. 15, according to Jim Ravelli, vice president of university operations, who said an employee did not follow protocol when handling the set of master keys.
Ravelli said that it was one to three weeks after the keys went missing that the person responsible for by monitoring the keys noted their absence. He does not believe theft was involved.
"I think (the keys) were misplaced," Ravelli said. "We did an internal investigation, and I have zero reason to believe it was anything but that."
Because it is a personnel matter, Ravelli did not divulge the name of the employee nor any disciplinary measures he or she might face.
Physical Plant officials referred all questions to Ravelli.
According to Ravelli, University protocol requires that the master keys, if removed from their lock box, must be returned to that box the same day.
Because the discovery of the missing keys happened 10 days before Freshman Orientation, Physical Plant workers had to scramble to re-key as quickly as they could. They first replaced the locks to dorms, University-owned houses and entrances of campus buildings, then moved on to the rest of the campus locks, Ravelli said.
Although he would not give an estimate of the cost of the lock changes, Ravelli said it does cost a substantial amount to re-key everything. But he said it was crucial, regardless of cost.
In a written statement prior to his interview with The Beacon, Ravelli said "our highest priority is the safety of our students, faculty and staff, so we immediately decided that we needed to change the locks in all buildings on the campus."
Even with the hustle to change the locks, most students were confused about the reasons behind their new keys.
"I just figured they re-key them every few years," sophomore Kelly Riley said. "I hadn't heard anything."
Junior Jeff Makjavich, a Schoenfeldt RA, heard rumors about the master keys but was not told any details.
"In my building in particular, all of a sudden they were systematically going floor by floor and re-keying every single room," Makjavich said.
Students living in UP-owned rental houses are still dealing with the lock changes.
According to a mass email sent to renters from the Department of Residential Life, renters will not be able to unlock their back doors from the outside for "some months." They can, however, exit the doors from the inside.
"While it's more of a nuisance than any real problem, it would be nice to have access through that door," graduate student Peter Christmas, who lives in a UP-owned rental house, said.
Although students were confused and in some cases, inconvenienced by the drastic action, Ravelli hopes people see the big picture.
"Students and faculty, they have a very safe environment in which to live," Ravelli said. "We take safety seriously here."
Ravelli said because of the ordeal, the University is increasing its audits to insure compliance with the master key protocol.
"Consistent with our continuous efforts to provide excellent security on campus, we will determine how we can improve our service and performance in moving forward from this point," he said.
(Kevin Kadooka -- The Beacon)
