In response to student safety concerns, the Office of Residential Life will begin locking the main stairwell doors of the Garden Apartments during nighttime hours, according to Zach Newswanger, director of Residential Life.
Beginning Sunday, doors will be locked from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. on the weekends. Garden residents can access their own stairwells using their apartment key, Newswanger said.

Newswanger said Garden residents voiced concerns about building security levels compared with other dorms on campus.

“The doors were not locked and you could basically have access to the stairwells 24 hours a day,” he said. “We wanted to align the Garden Apartment stair doors under the same expectations that we use at the residential dorms.”

According to Newswanger, it is unclear whether keys will give residents access to only their stairway, or to each of the four stairways in an apartment building. He said the office will determine which method is most effective as students test the new system next week.