The College’s director of Campus Safety, Cathy Buckley, is updating accessibility policies for academic buildings, aiming for the start of Block 6.
While these policies have evolved over the years, Buckley said she is refining them in direct response to growing concern over campus safety.
Before the pandemic, Campus Safety’s routine was bound to manually unlocking doors in the morning and returning in the evening to secure them.
When the pandemic hit, CC turned to all card-access-only to streamline contact tracing, allowing the college to monitor campus density and movement in real-time.
The shift back to a more accessible environment, as Buckley puts it, was sparked by a “desire to have an open campus.”
Colorado College’s campus is embedded in the Colorado Springs community. Its proximity to downtown makes it a public-facing landmark, welcoming a consistent stream of neighbors and visitors alike.
Administrators have long toiled with the many complex issues surrounding access and availability of the campus.
For now, only the academic buildings will undergo a change. These will be updated to only Gold Card access. Buckley hopes this change will occur as early as Block 6.
While Tutt Library for instance, will maintain its “open-hours” policy since it holds Special Collections and Archive, other buildings, like Ed Robson Arena, received special state funding and are mandated to host public events, so access to that building will also remain the same.
Buckley also said updating the Campus Accessibility Guide, which is found on CC’s website through accessibility resources, outlines exactly which doors the public may use.