By Chip Frerich
After months of planning and almost four weeks of installation, the Walsh Gate turnstile officially has opened.
The entire gate consists of two turnstiles — one for departing and one for entering — and a handicap entrance adjacent to the turnstiles. All are covered by a canopy that will be lit in the evening.
“Using the advanced technology available to us, and with the cooperation of Fordham IT, [students, faculty and staff] are now able to enter and depart the Rose Hill campus via the Walsh Gate 24 hours a day…beginning immediately,” said John Carroll, Vice President of Public Safety, in a university-wide email.
The gate will be accessible by tapping a student ID on the sensors on either side of the gate. Though surveillance cameras will be monitoring the gate at all hours, no guard will be present near the gate, making it the only entrance on campus without security personnel.
Many students welcomed the news with open arms. “I’m so happy that the gate is finally open. It will make grocery shopping and getting coffee so much more convenient,” Walsh resident Erin Siegman, FCRH ’16, said, “The Walsh Gate was great, but only at night, now I can much more easily access off-campus places.”
Kate Callahan, FCRH ’16, shared the feeling. “It’s extremely convenient, not just for Walsh residents but also for students who live off-campus,” Callahan said. “I no longer have to walk through the Autozone parking lot to get to Arthur Ave. during the day. I have already used it and I don’t know how [Fordham students] got by without it.”
“The turnstile is a good idea because it permits the one holder of a current Fordham ID card to enter at a time. It is not similar to a door, which could be left ajar, permitting unauthorized entry,” Carroll told The Fordham Ram.
He said the gate accomplished the goal of providing students, faculty and staff with a entry that was convenient and open at all ours.
Still, he added: “We will monitor it carefully and make adjustments accordingly to both the gate and the overhang structure.”
“We believe our students will find this very convenient, particularly our Walsh Hall residents; but, really all students who enter here in the middle of the night from Belmont community locations will enjoy this convenience,” said Carroll.
Students are eager to embrace the 24 hour gate near Walsh Hall.
“I think that having the Walsh Gate open 24/7 will make my life a lot easier,” said Giuliano Pichini, FCRH ’16. “When I’m rushing to leave in the morning it used to add several minutes to my commute to go around Finlay and out Bathgate [Gate]. It saves time and is much more convenient for students and staff.”
When asked about safety concerns students had mixed responses.
“I do not have any issue with this gate because if it requires a student ID to scan in, it isn’t any different from when a guard was there,” James McGowan, FCRH ’16, said.
Callahan thought safety might be slightly compromised. “It’s definitely possible for people to get in who wouldn’t have been able to without the turnstile,” she said. “I think it’s overall beneficial but I can understand the safety concerns.”
“No I think that the gate’s sturdy construction and the technology surrounding it will prevent any unwanted trouble from entering Fordham’s campus,” said Mitch Feehley, GSB ’16.
Public Safety, suggested anyone having issues with the turnstile or handicap gate should use the gate’s intercom for immediate assistance.
