Keys & Access | Residential Facilities | Division of Student Affairs

Our in-house Access Systems staff installs, manages, and maintains the residence hall electronic security and card access systems. A staff member is on-duty 24/7 to respond to urgent maintenance issues. Contact Access Systems through the Service Center at 301-314-9675.

Key Issuance and Policy

Traditional Residence Halls

The Service Desk in each building or community area provides keys to all Residence Hall students for their assigned rooms. Additionally, they keep a spare key for each room, which students can check out if they get locked out.

Duplications Are Prohibited: Keys issued by Residential Facilities cannot be duplicated or given to unauthorized individuals (friends, family members, others). Residents must return all keys upon check-out. If a key is not returned or does not match the issued keys, a lock core change will be necessary, and the resident’s account will be billed.

Card Access: Residence Hall students receive access to the Residence Hall spaces associated with their assignment, living-learning program membership, and employment. Access levels are automatically updated on their University ID card. Any changes in assignment, employment, or program membership will be reflected in the level of access on their ID card.

Service	Room Type	Description
Lock Core Changes (LCC)	Traditional Residence Halls	To ensure the safety and security of all Residence Hall students, Resident Life will ask Residential Facilities to replace the locks on the door if: A student loses the key to their room or the front door of their Suite or Apartment. The spare key is checked out for more than 24 hours. After the locks are changed, the Service Desk will provide new keys to all residents ($150).
Temporary Swipe Card Replacement	Traditional Residence Halls	The Service Desk will issue free temporary swipe cards if a student has lost or is having issues with their university ID. (Free) If the temporary swipe card is not returned within 24 hours, it will be deactivated and replaced, and the student will be billed. ($30)
Recut	Suite and Apartment Bedroom Doors	Residence Hall students in Suites, Apartments, or Prince Frederick Semi-Suites who lose the key to their bedroom door must have the key recut ($15).

Sabbath-observing students may request a 'Sabbath' key from their Service Desk. This key enables access to their residence hall using a traditional key, rather than the card access system, during the Sabbath. The cost for a Sabbath LCC is $425.

Fraternity and Sorority Chapter House residents on the Row and Graham Cracker

Residents of the fraternity and sorority chapter houses on the Row and Graham Cracker will receive a room key from their Resident Director (RD) during move-in. If they get locked out, they can ask their RD or chapter president for access using a House Master Key.

As a last resort, the Service Desk keeps a spare key for each room, which residents can borrow if needed. Key must be returned within 24 hours.

Service	Description
Lock Core Changes (LCC)	If a student loses the hard key to their bedroom they should report it to the RD. The RD can issue a spare key 24 hours while they continue to attempt to locate their key. (Free) If the key does not turn up, depending on circumstances, the core may need to be recut at the resident will be billed accordingly ($150).
Suite and Apartment Bedroom Door Recuts	The cost to recut a bedroom door key in the Fraternity and Sorority Chapter Houses on the Row and Graham Cracker is payable to the House Corporation ($25). Repeated lost keys may require the entire house to be re-cored, resulting in higher costs. The House Corporation will cover the re-coring expenses.
Temporary Swipe Cards	Residents can obtain a temporary card from their RD to access their house if their UID stops working or if they misplace it (Free). If the card's strip isn’t working, residents can return the malfunctioned card at the Mitchell Building and request a new card (Free). Residents are billed for a replacement of a lost UID card ($30).

Staff Access

DRF Staff Access: Residential Facilities maintains keys for all Residence Hall spaces and issues keys to its staff based on their job roles and the spaces they need to access to perform their duties. This includes access to master keys for the Residence Hall rooms. Residential Facilities records and audits all keys issued to ensure accountability and proper distribution.

Contractors: Contractors who work in the Fraternity and Sorority Chapter Houses (Chef/Caterers and Housekeeping Providers) are issued keys and temp access cards by the RD unless previous arrangements were made through Residential Facilities Senior Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Facilities.