Word: uka
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Only at Harvard could a simple visit to a friend in Lowell House turn into a massive odyssey involving the Undergraduate Council, housemasters, broken promises and the chimera of Universal Keycard Access (UKA...
...while the administration’s recent efforts are good, more can still be done to help improve this system. The Council of Masters recently decided to allow each undergraduate House to determine its own policy on keycard access—with universal keycard access (UKA) being the “default” system in place beginning this September. The Council’s decision is a long awaited and encouraging step, but the fact that Houses can still opt out undermines the effectiveness of the change. We strongly encourage all House masters to adopt the default system. Students?...
...failing to take the elementary precaution of keeping the suite door locked.” Therefore, House communities can take other precautions to address the problem of theft: Students can lock their room doors, and masters and tutors should advise them to do so. Additionally, the implementation of UKA makes it less likely that dangerous trespassers will convince resident students to let them piggyback; if all students are provided access at all times, excuses that one’s card does not work late at night will no longer...
Indeed, House Masters would do well to follow the lead of Quincy, which implemented UKA in 1998 and, according to Kirshner, has seen no adverse effects. Given the success at Quincy and the improvements in student safety (which UKA can affect), some Masters’ adamant opposition seems incomprehensible. One can only conclude that some abstract notion of House autonomy has trumped concerns for the safety of Harvard’s students. This is entirely unacceptable; the College should consider pressuring recalcitrant Masters who insist on restricting access to open their doors to all undergraduates
...pleased with the great progress that has been made on this issue—in large part through the lobbying efforts of members of the Undergraduate Council—and we look forward with hope to UKA in the fall...