case
STUDY
James Madison University
Upgrades for Better Access Control
By B e v e r ly V i g u e
Wilson Hall at JMU—photo credit: JMU Photographic Services
10 DOORS AND HARDWARE £ JuLY 2007
A
s James Madison University
nears its centennial celebration in
2008, it is taking a monumental
step toward upgrading access
control of more than 15,000 doors on
campus. By upgrading its conventional key system to
a patent-protected high security system, moving up
to computer-managed (CM) electronic locks in critical
areas, and adding programmable locks to residence
suites, the university is gaining better security through
improved control of who has access to which areas.
Since its founding in 1908, James Madison University
(JMU) has grown from a state normal and industrial
school for women into today’s coeducational and
comprehensive university. Known
as James Madison University since
1977, JMU includes more than 140
buildings on its 600-acre campus
in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It serves
approximately 15,000 students,
including some 6,000 residents,
At one time, JMU had as many
as seven different key systems.
Gradually, the university was able
to reduce that to two, but the lack
of standardization complicated
security and maintenance. John
J. Ventura, Assistant Director of
Operations, Facilities Management,
explains, “Keeping up with
training for the diverse locksets
was difficult. Now we only will
have to train on one lock.”
Key System Improves Security
In order to improve key control
and increase security, JMU is in
p Schlage/Locknetics CM lock protects the
campus police station’s forensics laboratory.
Lock includes a key override, and door
is equipped with a high-security
the process of converting all its
locks to the patented Schlage®
Everest™ Primus® keyway. This
eliminates the possibility of
unauthorized key duplication,
since key blanks are unavailable
at local key shops. Ventura says,
“The key blanks are only available
from the manufacturer, so we have
more control because people can’t
just go out and duplicate them.
JMU has instituted a campuswide conversion to the Everest
Primus key system, and Ventura
reports that they are working
on their third building. These
include Harrison Hall, an athletic
performance building, and the
new A-3 building. Ventura notes,
“For students alone, we have about
15,000 doors, but we’re also converting everything else, including
athletic facilities, dining, and leased
properties.” Other buildings will
p Schlage Everest Primus-keyed deadbolt as well. Typical resident’s
room uses Schlage lever trim with VandlGard feature that allows
the lever to free-wheel when locked and prevents damage.
Added plate further protects the door and hardware.
be done in sequence, and renovations will incorporate the new key
system as they are completed.
Most of the existing locks are
cylindrical, although Jim Meadows,
Locksmith Services Supervisor, says
the university is moving toward
using mortise locks because of
they are less susceptible to vandalism. “We also put the Vandlgard
levers in a lot of the residence halls,
especially Greek Row,” he says.
“Before, we had to go there several
times a week, but we don’t have
problems with lever damage now.”
The Vandlgard lever is free-wheeling in the locked position to resist
more forceful attacks or abuse.
Part of the upgrade included
designing a keying system that
would handle future campus
growth. The result was a system
based on departmental masters,
rather than building masters.
p Special-Lite exterior door from residence hall is equipped with
Von Duprin 99EL Series exit device and LCN door closer. Card
reader, visible on outside wall, allows access to building, while
high-security key system and CM locks secure interior areas.
July 2007 £ DOORS AND HARDWARE
11
p Cross-corridor fire doors include Von Duprin
99 Series vertical rod exit devices for secure
latching. Electromagnetic holders keep doors
in the open position and release if fire alarm is
activated, allowing LCN closer to close the doors.
Meadow says, “If you have one
grand master for everything, it
limits your growth.” He adds that
the cost to re-key a building if a
master key is lost could be as high
as $20,000, depending on building
size. “We also didn’t want to have
a lot of master keys in circulation,
so we took a hard look at who can
assign masters and who is authorized to get a master,” he says. “A
residence building could include
dining, or athletics could share part
of a building. We broke it down so a
person would only have a master for
the athletic or dining areas, but they
could be in multiple buildings.”
Setting up the key system by
departments rather than by buildings has another advantage when
staff or faculty members are moved
from one building to another.
Meadows explains, “If there is an
open space in one building that
happens to be an academic facility
and we need space for an athletic
office, for example, we can let the
12 DOORS AND HARDWARE £ JuLY 2007
p Biomanufacturing Laboratory in JMU’s Integrated
Science and Technology/Computer Science building uses
CM locks with card readers and number pads to provide
a higher degree of flexibility and access control.
p Closeup shows a Schlage PRO Series programmable
lock, used on resident suite doors.
people take their keys with them
when they move, and all we have
to do is change a few locksets.”
Limiting the number of master
keys has its advantages for the
users as well as the facilities
management staff. “With it comes
responsibility and accountability,”
Meadows explains. “Once they
p O ffices that hold sensitive records
also use the CM lock.
realize that, they don’t think a
master key looks as good anymore.”
Ventura points out that the
university has specific guidelines
to be followed, and authorization
for departmental master keys
must come from a high level.
Where contractors are involved,
Meadows has implemented internal
policies that call for the project
manager to authorize any keys
needed by tradesmen. The project
manager must either pick up and
sign for the key personally or have
the worker take the authorization
in and sign for the key himself. He
must also specify how long he needs
the key and return it when finished.
Residence halls include a
hard-wired exterior door control
system that uses the university’s
one-card magnetic stripe card.
The system is set up so a student
can only gain access to his or her
building. Once inside, all doors
are controlled by the high-security mechanical key system or
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p Partial view of James Madison University’s 600-acre campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
programmable standalone locks.
To help the university maintain
the benefits of its standardization
program, IR Security & Safety
worked with JMU to develop
an Architectural Specification
Guide, which will be used by
architects when defining building
standards on campus. The guide
lists products that are accepted
by the school, including Schlage
D-series locks, Von Duprin exit
devices, LCN door closers and
Everest Primus key systems.
Electronic Locks Enhance Security
and Control
In some areas, where security
needs are more stringent or there
is need for more flexible control,
JMU has installed standalone
electronic locks on interior doors.
In educational facilities, including
14 DOORS AND HARDWARE £ JuLY 2007
Roop and Godwin halls, Schlage
5100 Series CM locks are used to
secure facilities such as laboratories.
Ventura explains, “Some labs have
computers, and sometimes we give
students keys for those areas. With
the CM locks, we can give them
a PIN code, so we can control the
times they can enter and review
audit trails if a problem occurs.”
The CM lock also incorporates a
card reader, so it can be used with
the university’s Smart Card or in
combination with a PIN code.
Ventura adds that the electronic
locks are used in the Integrated
Science and Technology building as well. “There, they are used
for controlling access internally
between departments,” he
points out. “There are a lot of
high-tech labs with expensive
equipment, and they do a lot
of experiments as well.”
In addition, JMU uses Schlage
PRO Series programmable locks
on doors to about 360 residence
hall suites. Meadows explains, “We
had mechanical five-button locks,
but they only gave us 120 usable
combinations so we had some duplication. We also had some trouble
with the clutch systems failing in
those locks. We use the PRO locks
on the entrance to the suite and
assign codes so we don’t have to key
these doors. All we have to do is
assign a code. The residents just use
their keys to enter their individual
rooms after they access the suite
with the pushbutton lock.”
About The Author: Beverly Vigue, AHC/CDC, is
Vice President, Education Solutions at Ingersoll
Rand Security Technologies, where she is responsible for developing the vertical education market.