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Mission Statement
The staff of the Key Card Access Office is committed to
providing Binghamton University with a high-quality electronic access system
that allows convenient and efficient access to all card-related services.
Our professionally trained staff is dedicated to providing patrons with courteous,
efficient, and effective service including seeking new, expanded uses of
the card through improved advanced technology.
Information for Students Using
the Residence Hall Card Access System
No Matter which residence hall you live in at
Binghamton University, it’s your “home away from home.” To
help you enjoy your new home even more, Binghamton University’s
Card Access System provides you with a secure living environment.
This sophisticated, state-of-the-art entry system helps keep you
safe while allowing you the freedom and convenience you enjoy.
How Access Cards Work
The Card Access System allows occupants of a University
residence hall to enter designated doors with an access card. You may use
other doors to exit the building, but you may enter the building only through
designated doors by using your access card.
Entry doors are equipped with a 30-second time-delay device that allows you to enter or leave the building without an alarm sounding. However, if a door is held open more than 30 seconds or propped open, a local alarm is activated to alert building residents. Simultaneously, the University Police receive an alert at their headquarters in the Administration Building.
It’s important for all residents of a building to be considerate and cooperative and make sure that doors to the residence hall are closed, not only for the safety and security of all the residents, but so that other residents aren’t disturbed by alarms that sound when doors are held or propped open.
How to Use Your Access
Card
The Card Access System is easy to use. Simply pass your card in front of the
red light (from right to left) located at each proximity reader entrance sign
(green and white with oak trim), and the light will change to green. At the
same time, you will hear a click of the lock mechanism, which enables you to
turn the entrance door handle and open the door. You may then enter the building.
As the door shuts and locks, the system resets automatically.
What to Do If Your
Card Doesn’t Work
If your card fails to work, ask for assistance from your residential community
area office during normal business hours, or, after 5 p.m. or on the weekend,
from University Police in the lower level of Couper Administration Building,
G-35, at 7-2393.
What to Do If You Misplace Your
Card
Report misplaced or stolen cards immediately to your residential
community area office during normal business hours, or, after 5 p.m. or on
the weekend, to University Police in the lower level of Couper Administration
Building, G-35. Your old card will be deactivated and you will be issued
a new card. A fee of $15 is charged for the replacement of an access card.
Failure to pay the replacement fee within two weeks of issuance results in
the cardholder being placed on the University delinquency system.
If you misplace your card at night and need a replacement card to access your residence, you may call 7-2393 on the phone keypad outside your building to have an escort arrive there and accompany you to the Administration Building.
To Visit Another Residence Hall
Use the phone keypad outside the door to contact
the resident you are visiting and ask that person to come down and
open the door for you. Your access card will allow you to enter only
the residence hall in which you live. No temporary cards are given
to guests.
Your Cooperation Helps Make
Our Campus Secure
The Access Card System works only if everyone follows
the guidelines that promote security. To make sure everyone in your
building and the buildings you visit remains safe and secure, remember:
- Don’t prop open doors to residence halls.
- Don’t lend your access card to someone else or borrow someone else’s card.
- Don’t let someone else into the building just because that person is standing right behind you as you let yourself in — or is standing outside the door as you let yourself out. Also, when entering or exiting the building, don’t allow a person outside to catch the door and hold it open to “let himself/herself in.” The only way to ensure security is to make sure the door closes behind you, so that everyone entering the building has to either use an access card or call a resident to be let inside. Not holding the door open for others may seem rude, but it’s the only way to make sure that everyone who enters the building has a legitimate reason to be inside.
- Don’t expect or ask people entering or leaving the building to hold the door open for you. Use your access card if you live there, or, if you don’t, call a resident to let you in.
- Be alert and aware. Report any strange, suspicious or unusual behavior or events outside your residence to University Police.
- If the security system is not working, report the problem and be patient until it is working again.
- Don’t try to use a card to access any building other than the one for which it was issued. If you keep trying to open another residence-hall door with your own access card, the card will deactivate and no longer work for your own door.
- Report lost cards immediately to either your residential community area office or to University Police.
- Don’t expose your card to extreme heat, open flame or water. Check clothes pockets before laundering to make sure you don’t put it through the wash. Avoid leaving it on a dashboard in the sun.
- Don’t bite on your card or use it as a scraping tool. Don’t pound it with a pen or tool, punch a slot or hole in an undesignated area, or fold, bend or twist it.
Important Phone Numbers
Key Card Access Department 7-6673
University Police 7-2393
Residential Life 7-2321
Hours of Operation and Location
of the Card Office
Library South Ground Room 665, M-F 8:30AM - 5:00PM
EST
A Message from Carl M. Gilmore,
Associate V.P. for Auxiliary Services
“ Binghamton University has implemented
a building access system for the residence halls, state buildings,
and classrooms. The University is very concerned about the safety
of everyone on campus. The current access system was selected based
on the ability of the system to accommodate the increasing number
of University participants, sites where the system is and will be
installed, the number of transactions that the system can handle
and the high level of security the system provides.
The system allows for easy access for the card users and if a card is lost or stolen it can be cancelled immediately upon notification to the card office or University Police. Our current student body, faculty and staff speak highly of the system because it is easy to use, secure and reliable.
If you should have any questions regarding the system, please do not hesitate to contact our card office at (607) 777-6673.”
Description of Technologies Used and Future Technologies to be Implemented
Proximity Cards
Proximity
cards provide reliable and convenient access. Proximity technology allows
fast, accurate reading while offering token read ranges from 4” to
24” inches, dependant on the type of proximity reader and proximity
token being used. Since these cards do not require physical contact with
the reader, they are virtually maintenance and wear-free.
With Proximity Cards a magnetic signal is induced into a coil embedded into the card and this transmits the encoded card number back to the reader to be read and authorized, as appropriate.
Proximity Cards are primarily used for hands free operation where user is not required to present a token to a specific reader. The 125 KHz radio frequency read range is a significant issue when considering this technology as it is subject to installed surroundings and varies from position to position.
Magnetic Stripe
Magnetic
stripe recording is very similar to audio and video recording. The basic
differences, of course, are that the magnetic material is applied to a paper
or plastic card or ticket and data is stored on the stripe instead of sound
or images. Information can be recorded, read, and re-recorded many times.
Data is recorded in "tracks" in much the same way sound is recorded on audio cassettes. Multiple tracks are available on each stripe and multiple stripes may be used on a card or ticket to increase data capacity. There are three track locations on the Binghamton University ID card magnetic stripe. These tracks contain reference data for card access, the BUC$ debit card and your meal plan.
Biometrics
The
term biometrics refers primarily to the measurement of physiological and
behavioral characteristics to automatically identify people. Physiological
biometrics is based on measurements and data derived from direct measurement
of a part of the human body. Iris-scan, fingerprint, retina-scan, hand geometry,
and facial recognition are leading physiological biometrics.
Behavioral characteristics are based on an action taken by an individual. Behavioral biometrics is based on measurements and data derived from an action, and indirectly measure characteristics of the human body. Keystroke-scan, voice recognition and signature-scan are leading behavioral biometric technologies.
Caring for Your ID Card and Proximity Card
To ensure the durability of your card, please take a few simple precautions:
- Keep your Key Card in our free protective card sleeve.
- Do not use the card in any fashion that may damage it.
- Do not punch holes in the card (don't allow anyone else, including campus departments, to do so either).
- Do not place the card on stereo equipment, computers or near any magnetic fields.
- Do not use for any other purpose other than for access control or identification.
- Do not leave in direct sunlight, for example on the dash of a car.
- Do not expose to extreme heat or open flame. For example, clothes dryers or clothes irons.
- Do not expose to organic solvents, thinners, mineral spirits, etc.
- Do not machine wash.
- Do not use as an ice scraper or scraping tool.
- Do not crimp, bend, or twist card.
- Do not re-laminate.
- Do not immerse in alcohol, Isopropyl, ethanol, methyl, etc.
- Do not bite or bend your card.
- Do not pound with a pen or tool.
“What’s new?”
- Card Access will be installed in the Innovative Technology Building.
- Card Access will be installed in the Event Center exterior doors, locker room doors and sky box doors.
- The OCC Blue Buses will soon have card access for validation purposes.
- Health Services will soon have a card reader at their front desk for validation purposes.
- The Public Parking Garage now has electronic access! Coming soon – permit holders can enter and exit hands free!
- Laundry rooms in Marcy, Hunter, Windham and Cascade will have wireless card readers on their doors.
- Suite and bedroom doors in Windham and Cascade will have stand-alone battery operated card readers. These readers will work with your University ID card.
- The East Gym and Fit Space now has card access and will be activated in the near future
Where Card Access can be Used/List of Locations
- Your residential dorm exterior entrance
- Hinman
- Dickinson
- CIW
- Mountainview
- Newing
- Hillside (Rockland and Saratoga)
- Your residential dorm interior Suites and bedrooms (coming
soon)
- Cascade
- Windham
- Fine Arts building equipment storage
- Parking Services parking garage
- Front gate EZ Pass Lane
- University Union West
- Health Services verification (coming soon)
- East Gym
- Fit Space
- Basketball Game ticket verification
- OCC Blue Bus verification (coming soon)
- Campus Pre School
- Institute for Child Development
- Science III and IV LAR