New Access System Struck by Unknown Vandal

Author: Daniel Phillips

A brand new enhanced access system was installed last month at Middlebury College, and already a number of the units have been vandalized. Since the beginning of the service, five of the black pads that residents swipe their cards across to gain entry to locked dorms have been vandalized at Painter Hall, along with one at Forest Hall.
Unable to attribute the destruction to any one individual, the decision was made by the College to put the fees on Dorm Damages for the residents of those halls where the vandalism occurred.
The last occurrence at Painter consisted of a smashed swipe pad and damaged wires in the control box that shorted out the circuit board; the motion sensor above the door was also damaged, reported Tom Corbin, assistant treasurer and director of business services. "It's expensive," said Corbin, "five to six hundred dollars per unit." The bill to replace the first two at Painter totaled over one thousand dollars, but the final cost depends on the extent of the damage and the labor involved in the repair he explained. The remnants of the original pad must be removed and the wires replaced before a new unit can be installed.
According to Melody Perkins, assistant director of administration, Public Safety believes that since all the damage at Painter was inflicted upon one door, there is one individual who is dissatisfied with the system. Perkins explained that Public Safety officers responded to an incident at Painter, and within hours of their departure, more vandalism occurred on the same system. The response in support of the system was great from students when they attended an information session about it, but "someone else isn't catching on," Perkins said.
An e-mail was recently sent out by Lisa Stifler, the Commons Resident Assistant (CRA) of Wonnacott Commons, informing Painter's residents about the vandalism and encouraging everyone to report any information concerning who is responsible for the incidents. The e-mail emphasized that all Painter residents must take responsibility for what happens in their dormitory. She elaborated that incoming residents, including new Febs, students returning from abroad and students moving into the hall would not be charged for past damages, but all of its residents will now be charged if future incidents occur.
Bernadette Gunn '04, a resident of Painter, explained that the vandalism had been discussed in a hall meeting. She said the residents of her hall were displeased that they should be paying for dorm damages, but questioned whether the damage was caused by one of Painter's own residents since the perpetrator would be denied entry to the dorm after damaging its access system. On the other hand, she continued, "people are more accountable for their peers because everybody gets charged for their stupidity."