Applies to:	Original Policy Date:	Date of Last Review	Approved by:
All Florida Tech Employees, Students, Visitors & Guests	04/30/2021	August 2023	Ryan Petersen

The Access Control office, including the university Key Shop, is responsible for maintaining all mechanical and electro-mechanical locks on university premises. The Department of Security is responsible for providing visitors to campus with temporary IDs, temporary parking passes, and the documentation of all visitors.

 Policy Owner: Department of Security

Policy Purpose

This policy defines responsibilities and outlines procedures for regulating access to Florida Institute of Technology assets and facilities. Balancing access with security is essential for both the safety and operation of the University. The Department of Security is responsible for overseeing this policy.

Policy Scope

All current Florida Tech employees, students, visitors, and guests.

Policy Statement

The policy governs how mechanical keys are issued and tracked and how access is granted to cardholders. It distinguishes the access procedures relating to academic and non-academic buildings, and access protocols for different members of the university community.

Procedures/Guidelines

A request for access is initiated by a Dean or Vice President, who submits an Access Authorization and Request Form on the Department of Security website. The Locksmith responds by identifying appropriate access requirements, verifies proper authorizations, and assigns access credentials. Requests not signed by a Dean or Vice President will not be processed. 

Credentials may be temporarily issued to external contractors, vendors, or tenants. Requests for temporary external contractor and vendor assignments shall include a contract agreement signed by the vendor including the date of expiration of these responsibilities to ensure timely return of hard keys, ID cards, combinations, or other access credentials. The Locksmith ensures the credentials are returned/deactivated at the end of the temporary assignment. Temporary credentials are not to leave campus and should be returned to the Department of Security each day. 

Outside parties responsible for the loss of issued hard keys must report the loss to the Department of Security immediately. This may result in re-keying costs to the outside parties. 

On-Campus contractors (National, Barnes & Noble, ELS, etc.) and tenants will be assigned access credentials under the supervision of the Department of Security with approval from a Dean or Vice President. 

All access credentials will be picked up and dropped off at the Department of Security; only the person to whom the keys are assigned may retrieve them.

Levels of Authorization

Hard Keys – Locksmith

• Building Master Key: Will operate all doors inside a single building; this is the highest­ level key available for issue; additional authorization from the Director of Security and Locksmith is required.
• Sub-Master Key: Will operate a small group of doors/suite. Standard department and Locksmith approvals apply.
• Operator Key: Will typically operate a single door. Standard department and Locksmith approvals apply.
• Restricted Area Keys: High-security areas on file with the Director of Security; additional authorization from the Director of Security and Locksmith is required.

 ID Card Access- Locksmith

• Faculty & Staff Card Access: Operates a specific assigned door or set of doors throughout campus on a pre-defined schedule. The Locksmith is responsible for all non-residential access authorizations and assignments.
• Student ID Card Access: Operates a specific assigned residence hall and an assigned apartment. The permissions are issued to student residents at assigned residence halls and assigned apartments. Campus Services issues assigned residence hall and apartment access to students
• Restricted Areas: High-security areas on file with the Director of Security require authorization from a Vice President, the Director of Security, and the Locksmith.

When Visiting Campus (Non-Admissions Purposes)

All Florida Tech visitors coming to campus for reasons other than an admissions-related purpose must report to Security, located at the Security Welcome Center, 3126 Panther Place, to receive a temporary visitor ID, which must be worn at all times while on campus. Guests who bring a vehicle to campus will require a temporary parking pass, also available by visiting the Security office. During the day, parking is free for guests and visitors. However, they will receive a placard that must be displayed on their windshields. All visitors are expected to observe Florida Tech’s parking regulations.

Faculty and Staff Guests

All Faculty and or Staff Guests must be escorted by the Florida Tech Faculty or Staff member while on campus. Guest conduct must not interfere with the educational environment or mission of the institution.

Residential Student Guests (https://www.fit.edu/reslife/university-housing-living-guide/)

Hosts and their guests are expected to adhere to the rules and regulations of the university. Hosts are responsible for informing guests of university policies. Host residents are responsible for the actions of their guests and may face disciplinary action for any policy infractions or damages by their guests. Guests that violate policies may be removed from the residence halls and may lose their privileges to be a guest.

• A host is defined as any currently enrolled student who entertains any individual in the host’s assigned campus housing unit, or who accompanies a non-student anywhere on campus.
• A guest is defined as any person who is present in a residential housing unit other than one to which assigned and is the responsibility of the host resident of the room.

Hosts must always accompany their guests/visitors in the residence halls. Hosts may not leave their guests/visitors in their room/apartment unattended.

A guest/visitor must possess picture identification and produce identification at the request of any university official. Guests/visitors without identification or who refuse to produce identification may be escorted from campus.

Overnight guests/visitors are permitted. The host must have prior permission from all roommates. In a 30-day period, guests/visitors are only permitted to stay overnight a total of three nights, regardless of whether those nights come in succession or not. During a semester, an individual is only allowed to be a guest/visitor on campus for a maximum of seven nights, regardless of whether those nights are in the same room/apartment or not.

Guests in residence halls with community-style bathrooms are only permitted to use the appropriate gender-assigned bathroom. 

Visitors under the age of 18

Visitors under the age of 18 who are not currently registered Florida Tech students are not permitted on campus unless the minor is accompanied by a Florida Tech community member, or the minor is authorized to attend a Florida Tech program, sanctioned event, admissions visit or other campus visit.

Presence in classrooms is strictly limited to students enrolled in the course and/or visitors with a legitimate academic purpose.

Others:

Shipping and Receiving/Delivery Services (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.)

These entities are not considered Visitors/Guests and therefore are not subject to this policy. 

Contractors/Vendors (facilities approved/established)

All established, Facilities approved contractors/vendors do not need to check in with security unless requiring room access. In instances where access is required, the established contractor/vendor must report to Security, located at the Security Welcome Center, 3126 Panther Place, to receive contractor/vendor access control (keys or card).

Responsibilities

General Information

Missing keys and ID cards must be reported immediately to the Department of Security. The Locksmith and Director of Security will then determine the extent of the potential breach. There is no charge for broken keys or cards as long as all pieces are returned to the Locksmith.Installing personal locks in any University facility is prohibited, excluding personal lockers and similar storage. Furthermore, no alternate configurations or modifications can be made to any locking or keying system unless done so by the Locksmith.

Spaces specifically designated as mechanical or electrical rooms, custodial storage, or telecommunications rooms are restricted for access by maintenance personnel only.

Keys are never issued for electronic locks equipped with hard key override. The Department of Security and Locksmith will be the only entities on campus authorized to possess the electronic override key. In the event an electronic lock experiences a total failure that cannot be resolved quickly, temporary cores may be installed for continued operation of the lock via a temporary hard key until it is repaired. This occurs rarely, and only with approval from the Director of Security.

Emergency keying may be implemented by the Director of Security under certain conditions which require all access in a given area be removed from all persons to ensure complete and total safety. In the event emergency keying is initiated, only the Director of Security can designate those receiving temporary emergency access credentials.

Construction keying will be utilized for new construction and capital projects only (buildings not yet under University occupancy). Construction locks are not part of the University master key system and are intended for contractors use only. In-house projects and smaller scale renovations will maintain their keying in the University master key system, assuming it does not create a safety or security concern to the occupant(s), and locks will only be changed in the event a key is not returned upon completion of the job.

Keys are never to be stored on campus unless inside a secure container approved and registered with the Locksmith. Any department having such a container registered must also designate someone as the responsible party for the secure container and its contents.

At no point can any member of the campus community be assigned multiple credentials providing access to the same space(s).

Keys remain the property of the University at all times and must be surrendered upon request by the Department of Security or Locksmith.

Enforcement

Missing hard keys usually result in re-keying of all affected locks, the cost of which will be borne by the department by which the key was authorized to be issued. Missing ID cards are deactivated and reassigned as needed. Students must report lost or stolen keys to Campus Services immediately and can obtain a replacement key upon payment of a $75 per key fee, or $30 fee per lost card.

Persons failing to comply with the Access Control and Visitor Policy will be asked to leave the property and may be subject to trespass charges.