Students adjust to Newhouse complex ID requirement amid safety concerns

For the first time ever, the Newhouse School now requires all students, faculty and visitors to present a valid SUID to enter the Newhouse complex, presenting challenges for some students.

After multiple trespassing incidents on Jan. 30 and Feb. 17, Newhouse dean Mark Lodato announced the policy in a school-wide email last week. He wrote that “a repeat trespasser was again arrested and removed earlier this week from the Newhouse Complex” and that the Department of Public Safety is working with local law enforcement to address the issue. He also cited the safety of the student as his “top priority.” 

Students must scan their IDs to enter the  Newhouse 2 and 3 doors facing Waverly Avenue, the Food.com entrance across from the Schine Student Center and the Newhouse 3 entrance facing the Einhorn Walkway. The Newhouse 1 entrance will remain unlocked from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during the schoolweek. 

Department of Public Safety officers stationed in Newhouse declined to comment on the new policy and its logistics. They redirected questions to the university’s media relations office.

The scanning requirement is new territory for students and is garnering mixed reactions about its effectiveness. Television, radio and film senior Jack Steinberg said he was confused Monday morning when he tried to enter the building, only to find it locked. 

“It took quite a bit of my time, and I ended up being slightly late to class because of it,” Steinberg said. “It’s incredibly inconvenient.” 

Steinberg said that because anyone can simply follow someone else into the building, the measure feels more like a hassle than a true precaution. 

With students focused on getting from one class to the next, he said few are paying attention to who is entering behind them, let alone whether they have an ID. For students who don’t carry an SUID, or even have one at all, navigating the new policy presents an even greater challenge.

“For me personally, I’m still in the process of trying to find my ID (after losing it),” public relations senior Lexi Mathai said. “I had to walk around to Newhouse 1 to the one door that was open, which was fine. But on a day when I have a busier schedule, I can definitely see that being an issue.” 

Because the policy applies only to the Newhouse 2 and Newhouse 3 buildings, leaving Newhouse 1 open, students question whether the new precautions actually improve safety for Newhouse students, especially because the trespasser was a former SU student. 

“If there is someone who knows anything about the school or tried all of the doors, it really won’t make that big of a difference,” Mathai said. “I do see potential issues with people holding the door for the person behind them, as that is something people commonly do,” she added. 

Beyond questions about the practicality of the safety measures, students now face the added challenge of fitting extra time into their busy schedules while navigating the Newhouse School, one of the largest buildings at SU.

“It took me an extra three to four minutes, not only because I had to walk around to get to Newhouse 1 but also because I had to walk throughout all of Newhouse to get to my class,” Mathai said.