Summary

To replace the archaic system of manually checking the ID of each individual student as well as the students’ Cleared4Pass for CUNY access, and prevent the slow-moving, long lines at entrances of campus buildings, the installation of electronic ID scanner turnstiles at all major campus building entrances is proposed. As CCNY students, we align with <<>> of CCNY students that believe that campus security and quality of student life would greatly benefit from a faster authentication/identification process, such as ID scanner turnstiles. Like many other CUNY schools, CCNY should adopt this efficient and timely process for student identification authentication. Implementing electronic ID scanner turnstiles at major campus building entrances will not only improve the speed and efficiency of student identification authentication, but it will also enhance campus safety by ensuring that only authorized individuals can enter buildings. The use of ID scanner turnstiles can also provide valuable data to campus security personnel, allowing them to monitor access patterns and quickly identify any unusual activity. Moreover, the installation of ID scanner turnstiles is a cost-effective solution in the long run, as it eliminates the need for hiring additional security personnel to manage manual ID checks. Overall, this proposal is a win-win for CCNY students and staff, as it streamlines the authentication process and enhances campus security while also providing cost savings.

INTRODUCTION

The CCNY campus spans from 141st Street to 130th st, with the average students’
classes typically within 141st Street and 135th Street. Most students have classes in the North
Academic Center, Shepherd Hall, Steinman Hall, and the Marshak Science Building. Despite all
of these buildings being very close in proximity, the trip from one class to another can be
anywhere from a few minutes to twenty minutes. This delay is mostly due to the lines, especially
at the North Academic Center, of students waiting to show security personnel their identification
and Cleared4Pass. An ID is easy to pull out and show to security staff. However, when there is a
large volume of students entering the building at once, between classes for example, security
personnel can take time reading each student’s name on their ID and ensuring the student’s
Cleared4Pass has the correct name and date, resulting in lines in front of building entrances that
are not only tedious, but dangerous.
Due to the attention that each security guard needs to give each student, sometimes
people manage to enter the building without providing proper identification. This semester alone,
we’ve had a documented suspicious person enter the campus buildings without any
identification, attempting to advertise and sell tickets to his show in several classrooms. Our plan
is to put an end to situations like this where people can enter freely because of the security
guards’ leniency and situations where students are late to class because of the lack of effort on
security. We want to incorporate a new security measure, which will include the addition of card
readers that can validate a student’s Cleared4 status.
This system can also include the addition of turnstiles to further limited unwanted access
to buildings. We are students as well and have seen firsthand how our current security system can
be inadequate. Oftentimes a security guard is focused on their phone and is inattentive to who
enters the building or students are 15 minutes late to class because there was only one security
guard checking everyone’s credentials before letting them in. Our proposal highlights the
shortcomings of our current security measures, and provides a more efficient alternative. We will
definitely continue to bring awareness to this topic and open the eyes of other students and
faculty who see these issues first hand.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Our proposal is to implement an ID reader system that can work with just an
IDTech EasyMag Card Reader or be connected to the Optical Barrier
Turnstiles-MT251. The IDTech Card Reader is equipped with an emulator that can be
used on its own to keep track of the students entering the building. The emulator picks
up the information from the card like the student’s Cleared4 access and name, which
is then sent to the main access point to keep records. This access point can be a
computer next to the scanner that security guards can view or in an office somewhere
else in the building. CUNY Hunter College has installed similar turnstiles, like the
EZ Lane Swing Arm Optical Turnstile. However, for a more cost-effective option, the
addition of a system such as the Optical Barrier Turnstile- MT251 will greatly
increase the security because both systems can be connected to one another which
allows for smoother interactions.
The ID reader will pick up the student’s name and Cleared4 status which will
then be sent to the access point. Once there it will validate the student’s Cleared4
status and unlock the turnstile. This process may seem tedious but in actuality, will
only take a few seconds to accomplish, making this solution very feasible. To further
prove this feasibility many CUNY schools like CCNY already implement systems
similar to our proposal. For instance, the Hunter College school website,
hunter.cuny.edu, states “ Everyone entering the college must use the OneCard at a
turnstile or scanner. It will speed up your trip and help avoid delays”. A OneCard is a
physical card that connects to a student’s Cleared4 and basic information. This card is
a necessity to access most places in the school like venues and academic buildings.
A similar system implemented in our school community will allow for more
efficient travel from one building to another, especially during the school rush hour.
As well as making trips more efficient, this will create a safer environment for the
school because it limits the number of unintentional slip-ins which can lead to the
endangerment of many students.

BUDGET

According to the Report on the Fiscal 2024 Preliminary Plan of the Fiscal 2023 Mayor’s
Management Report for the City University of New York, the proposed budget for the 2024
fiscal year is $1.28 billion, $120 million less than the adopted (starting) budget of the 2023 fiscal year. In this report, we see a budget increase for Hunter Campus Schools set at more than 2
million dollars alone, more than the funding increase for community and senior colleges
combined. In fact, senior colleges such as CCNY, are receiving no additional funding.
The main source of savings proposed in this report is the Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG).
PEG is a program implemented to remove the vacancies within the CUNY system, 156 positions
annually.

By removing vacant positions, the CUNY system saves $4.8 million. Relative to the
overall budget for senior colleges of $35 million, this $4.8 million is a sizable amount. Given
that currently, there is a hiring freeze on CUNY campuses, and a large amount is saved due to
PEG, a small percentage of the money saved through the PEG can be used to greatly enhance
the safety and quality of on- campus life at CCNY. In addition, 89% of the proposed removed
vacant positions, are non-pedagogical staff, which include security staff. Currently, the security
staff is 60% that of the pre-pandemic population.(NYPost article) The decrease in security staff
puts the university in an even more vulnerable position, which can be aided by turnstile scanners
preventing non-CUNY faculty/students from entering the campus buildings.
Taking into account the scanners mentioned in the earlier sections, the three scanners
chosen are the IDTech EasyMag Card Reader, the Optical Barrier Turnstiles-MT251, and the EZ
Lane Swing Arm Optical Turnstile. Based on the student survey completed, the buildings with
the highest volume, which students believe would benefit the most from the efficiency of ID
scanners are the North Academic Center, Marshak Science Building, Shepherd Hall, and
Steinman Hall.

Based on this, we calculated the cost of placing the different ID scanners at the main
entrances of the aforementioned buildings. The cost of using the IDTech EasyMag Card Reader,
the Optical Barrier Turnstiles-MT251, and the EZ Lane Swing Arm Optical Turnstile are $805,
$9800, $70,000, respectively. Even the most expensive option is less than 1.5% of the saved
money from the PEG. If we were to implement one of each scanner at the main entrance of each
of the 24 campus buildings, discluding the Towers dormitory, the cost for the IDTech EasyMag
Card Reader, the Optical Barrier Turnstiles-MT251, and the EZ Lane Swing Arm Optical
Turnstile are $1610, $19600, $140,000, respectively. With the most expensive option, we’ve still
not surpassed 3.5% of the money saved from the PEG.

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, we deserve to be safe and confident going to class. Evidently, the current
safety measures at this school have room for improvement. With understaffed security, large
student traffic, and an ineffectual ID system, an overhaul of our procedures for identification and
security would greatly benefit City College. Our proposed solution is simple and cost effective,
with even our most expensive options accounting for only a small percentage of the money
CUNY saves from layoffs. The proposed turnstiles would also allow for students to enter the
building in a smooth and timely manner, preventing major foot traffic during busy hours and
allowing students to get to class on time. In the worst case scenario, they could also help prevent potentially dangerous individuals from entering the campus. With these factors in mind, we
believe our proposal would be a worthwhile investment for City College, at a relatively low
financial loss to the school.