Residents and staff have agreed to keep the new key system for elevators in Andrews and Lawson Halls, despite some students’ concern over safety and convenience.

An Andrews Hall Council meeting on Sept. 18 called residents together to discuss possible fire hazards and convenience in the residence hall after complaints about the new system.

Previously, residents’ keys could give them access to all floors on the elevator and in the stairwell in their building. Safety concerns prompted housing officials to change the system, giving key holders access to only their floor.

Christine Henderson, Lawson Hall president and junior elementary education major, and Tina Gagliano, Andrews Hall president and senior psychology and English major, both said they received complaints from residents about the new system that was installed over the summer.

Students were frustrated because they could no longer move from floor to floor with ease to visit friends, and others were worried how they would escape from the stairwell in case of a fire because they can only enter through the door on their floor.

At the meeting, students openly addressed the pros and cons of the elevator system and voted whether to write a proposal to try and change the keys, said Gagliano. Students voted 34-3, with two abstaining, to keep the system after concerns were worked out, said Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining Wednesday.

“Students need to know when they have concerns they will be addressed, and in this case when we addressed this we found most thought is wasn’t a problem,” Hudson said.

The majority of residents at the meeting decided if there was a fire, there would be some confusion, but other residents would realize what was going on and open the doors.

The fire department is also aware of the key system and would respond accordingly, said Sehr Saghir, resident director.

Also, many thought the safety benefits outweighed the inconvenience.

The key system prevents people who don’t live in the building from getting in through the stairwell or on the elevator. It also keeps unwanted visitors from wandering from floor to floor.

Gagliano said though it is early to gauge any real difference, she can already notice a reduction in problems with men wandering the hallways without escorts.

“This makes it a lot easier to identity who is breaking the rules and not a lot of people have to get in trouble for it,” Gagliano said. “I feel like its going to keep eliminating problems.”