Straws in the Wind - Part 284

From the Columbia Daily Spectator: Barnard reopened select campus entrances to Barnard and Columbia ID holders following the completion of new perimeter security upgrades, Kelli Murray, Barnard executive vice president for strategy and chief administrative officer, announced in a March 2 email to the Barnard community. Under the new policy, Barnard and Columbia ID holders will have expanded access hours to the single-entry turnstile doors at the Milbank Hall entrance on West 120th Street and at the 40 Claremont Avenue entrance to the Milstein Center for Teaching and Learning. The Milstein entrance is open to faculty, staff, and students around the clock; while faculty and staff have 24/7 access at both locations, student access at Milbank is limited to weekdays from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Murray wrote in the email that the entrances are now equipped with “fully operational, actively monitored camera systems and single-entry turnstiles,” adding that the combination of the two systems is “what allows us to provide 24/7 perimeter access safely at these locations.” The expansion comes amid a years-long tightening of Barnard’s campus perimeter, largely driven by the college’s efforts to suppress on-campus protest activity. The college initially closed secondary entrances in anticipation of fall 2023 protests over the war in Gaza, but took further action during the spring 2024 “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on Columbia’s campus by narrowing access to the main gate at 117th Street and Broadway for Barnard and Columbia ID holders and shutting down all others.

...The upgrades reflect Barnard’s broader move toward automated campus entry systems, following changes to its security staffing. In July, amid a financial debt crisis, the college laid off 77 staff members—including desk attendants who previously monitored entrances to the Barnard Quad residence halls. Those positions were then replaced with ID scanners at the Quad’s entry points...

Full story at https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2026/03/09/barnard-expands-access-hours-at-select-entry-points-following-security-upgrades/.