Updated December 5, 2007

How does door access work?

Lab Door Access for our department is handled automatically by a series of software managers. Whether a student has door access or not is determined by what class he or she is enrolled in as well as whether the professor has asked that door access be provided or not. This is determined before the semester, and the professors have access to check again which access they had asked for.

What are possible causes If I have door failures?

Start of new semester. Though we can automatically generate a list of door clearances, they ultimately need to be done at Public Safety. This can sometimes take up to one week. At the start of the semester, this delay for a week becomes most apparent. Please wait at least one week before filling the form.

Swiping the card incorrectly. The proper way to slide the card through the reader is with the magnetic stripe facing towards the right and to the back of the card. If you have two striped on your card, the larger one is the stripe we are referring to.

Swiping the card too quickly. The card should be slid through the card reader at about the rate gravity would pull it downward had you let it go. Any faster and the reader might not be able to grab the information quick enough from the card.

Scratched or bad magnetic strip on the ID card. The card readers rely on a magnetic strip on the back of your ID card. If this strip becomes scratched, the chances are good that the card reader will not recognize the information on the card. It is also possible the magnetic strip became demagnetized by some mechanism. This is also a potential problem. If you can not get in anywhere, you may wish to have Card Services see whether your card is too damaged to function.

Access Incorrect. Sometimes, the access a student believes they have, is not what the professor in the course requested. At the start of the semester, the professors are given a list of students along with the door access set up for their students. Note, not all professors specify all labs in MSCS, and some professors do not ask for any door access at all to be granted to their students. Make sure you are supposed to get into what you think you can get into.

What should I do If I have problem with door access?

If you have problem with door access, please let us know this fact by filling a form called “Computer Support Request”, and we will be able to troubleshoot your problem more quickly. You can print the form online or get one in main office CU340.