Residential Property Management has replaced the old key card system in City Hall with a more advanced system designed to prevent frequent lock outs.

In the past, residents of City Hall were frequently locked out due to the demagnetization of their key card. The demagnetization occurred easily if the card was too close to cell phones or credit cards.

The newly installed key card mechanism targets the demagnetization issue because the new key cards are of far greater quality than the older ones, and “are able to retain the lock code that opens the door,” said Thomas Dwyer, managing director of Residential Property Management.

“In that way, the new cards are like GWorld cards,” he said. The locks had to be changed as well since “the old locks would not accept the new key cards,” Dwyer said.

Dwyer said the change cost $200 per lock, which equates to roughly $35,000 total for the building’s 176 units.

Junior Joe Goldman, a resident of City Hall, said he had often experienced the drawbacks of the key cards.

“Sometimes at midnight when I’m coming back to my room, the card doesn’t work and I can’t get into my room then,” he said.

A common solution to this problem was to call UPD each time students were locked out due to non-functioning key cards.

Goldman said many students were concerned about getting locked out of the residence during winter when the cold imposes a safety risk to students.

“People stranded outside in the cold until UPD arrives is a great safety issue in the winter,” Goldman said.

Junior Alli Kruk, a City Hall resident, said the old key cards were a hassle since they were easily demagnetized if a student was not careful, but added she had found a remedy to the issue.

“I made a little pouch using a card holder for my key card and I’ve never had an issue with it getting demagnetized,” she said.

As City Hall residents move back to the residence, all students have been asked to pick up their new key card from the City Hall lobby from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday or at Phillips Amsterdam Hall if arriving in the late evening.