When students who live in resident housing leave campus for winter break, checking out of rooms may take longer than previous years because of a policy requiring students to turn in room keys before heading home.

“It’s a security issue,” Dean of Students Cassy Bailey said. “Doing this, we are not trying to make students’ (lives) hard or difficult. This is for the students.”

This is the first year students must turn in their keys before leaving Baker’s campus.

“Check out is pretty much the same as it ever has been. It just has one more step, turning in the key,” resident assistant Megan Rosa said. “Although this added step takes a few extra minutes, it’s a good not only for Baker, but for the students.”

This new policy was created with safety and security as the main concern.

“The resident halls don’t change as far as locking the doors or deactivating student ID cards (over winter break), so by having the students turn in their room keys it allows a sense of security,” Bailey said.

The resident office is expecting some complaints from upperclassman students.

“It’s change and people don’t like change,” Kayla Smith, area coordinator for residence life, said. “The policy was put in place with the students in mind.”

The new policy gives Baker a maintenance opportunity as well. The staff is able to make sure every student has a key to their room.

“We will be able to make sure all the students that have lost room keys have new keys,” Smith said. “Many students wait (until) the end of the semester to report a lost key.”

The new policy will be implemented this semester when students check out of the residency halls for break.

“In the long run, an extra 15 minutes of check out will help everyone.” Rosa said.