They're not scanning students' retinas or asking for thumbprints - yet. MSU officials announced Monday that they would be testing a keyless-entry system in Emmons Hall next fall.
The effectiveness of the pilot program will be studied in order to determine whether the system will be implemented in other university residence halls.
Safety should always be a priority, but officials have to make absolutely sure that the pilot program is effective before spending large sums of money to make all dorms keyless.
There already are many potential pitfalls in keyless-entry systems that officials should look out for.
Students moving into Emmons Hall in August will test the new program - whether they like it or not. They'll have to use their university identification cards to enter exterior doors and living areas, but not to use dorm phones, rest rooms and hall lounges during the day.
But residents probably will try to prop doors or hold them open for other students. There's no surefire way to determine that every single person who enters the hall is supposed to be there.
A stranger could enter just by running up and grabbing the door before it closes behind someone who has just swiped his or her key card.
Another potential problem is that students might lose their identification cards, and be locked out of their floor. It's almost inevitable that at least a few students will lose their identification cards, which are not cheap or quick to replace.
When students lose their identification cards now, the only result is maybe missing a meal in the cafeteria. The student is given a temporary card, and life goes on until the new one can be issued.
But if students lose their cards while living in a keyless entry hall, they will have a lot more to deal with than a missed meal.
And there's always the issue of failed technology. The electronic devices could malfunction or the power could go out.
Even if a large problem doesn't occur, the mechanics still will need to be maintained.
MSU's keyless crusade comes about 10 months after a student was threatened at knifepoint in his Case Hall dorm room by two assailants posing as charity solicitors.
Michael Martone, the father of one of the victims, said that while he commends MSU's security actions, he still doesn't believe the university has done enough.
But the university and its money can only go so far. MSU already is dealing with a budget crisis, so implementing an expensive new security system isn't a reality any time soon.
Even if the budget wasn't an issue, the question still remains as to whether the installation of keyless entries in university residence halls will be worth the cost. Right now, there are too many loopholes for students - and potential assailants - to slip through.
Safety is never guaranteed, no matter how many card swipers are installed.
An electronic security device cannot replace common sense and community awareness.
Until the efficiency of a keyless-entry system can be proved, hall security depends on the conscientious decisions of all residents, mentors and staff.
