CLASSROOM SAFETY ENHANCEMENT UPDATE

University Leadership and Deacon One acknowledge the importance of the issue of safety in the classroom and leadership has approved this transformative project. Below the update is a General Overview in its entirety. We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we strive to enhance the safety and security of our academic environment.  A routine update will be published weekly to provide the entire Forest with a schedule of work, planned disruptions and expected completion times per phase.

Please engage your Space Manager with any questions or concerns as they serve as your first point of contact to communicate with project management.

As Deacon One and PTI continue to work through the scope of the project and are now navigating more robust classroom schedules, we have found that it may be necessary to pivot with our scheduling.  For this reason, we want to let you know the buildings that will be modified this fall:

Olin, Palmer, Piccolo, Military Science, Alumni, Benson, Taylor, Davis, Angelou, South, WakerSpace, Farrell Hall, Carswell

The week of November 18th

ATTN Students/Fac/Staff/Space Managers

Calloway/Kirby/Manchester – Likely to be in Div and Rel Studies and Salem as well

Running cable through hallways

Installing locking hardware on doors 

Installing emergency buttons within classrooms

 Up Next (Nov 25th): CALLOWAY/KIRBY/MANCHESTER – Likely to be in Div and Rel Studies and Salem as well

PTI will focus on cabling activities throughout this project. This preparatory work, while conducted as discreetly as possible in building hallways, sets the stage for subsequent door enhancements.  This work, while the noise level is more on the minimal side, may have moments of high-level noise at times.

PTI will also be focused on the door enhancements.  This includes removal of doors where applicable, routing/boring and glass removal where needed and installation of door hardware.  It could also include installation of a wall mounted card readers and actions include but are not limited to cutting, drilling and high-level noise to accomplish the task that we have been given.

The installation of the emergency buttons will be scheduled during times when a class is not in session.

 

General overview of Classroom Safety Enhancement Project

New technology to enhance safety and security in classrooms

The University has invested in new technology to enhance safety and security for faculty, staff and students in the classroom. The Board of Trustees approved funding for the safety enhancements in February.

Beginning May 21, Deacon One and Pathway Technologies, Inc. (PTI) will install manual thumb turn locks and emergency buttons in 25 buildings and 300 classrooms on Reynolda Campus and Wake Downtown. The project is expected to take 15 to 18 months to complete. 

The locks and buttons, when activated, will immediately notify Wake Forest University Police of an emergency. Thumb turn locks, also called turn-and-release locks, secure the entry points to the room while allowing users to easily open and close doors from the inside.

“The installation of the new technology is a significant undertaking directed by the leadership of the University for the safety and security of students, faculty and staff,” said James Byrd, director, Deacon One and Wake Forest’s Office of Physical Security Technology. “These security updates are the most comprehensive since the move to card access in 1986.”

In 2021, the University updated its Building Access Policy to include the addition of Deacon One  badge access readers at the entrances of several University buildings that formerly did not require keycard access.

What to expect during the campus safety enhancement project 

Over the next 18 months, PTI and Deacon One will be working in the University’s academic buildings. The Deacon One office has created an announcement with a link on their website, deaconone.wfu.edu, to provide regular updates as to the location of work – with a schedule, planned disruptions and expected completion times per phase. While the intent is to not disrupt classes, and no work will be done inside of occupied classrooms, work may be underway in the hallways and in adjacent empty classrooms that could create occasional noise pollution. Please be patient as the updates proceed.

During installation:

• PTI will focus on cabling activities throughout this project. This preparatory work in building hallways will happen prior to door enhancements. Though noise levels will be minimal during this process, there may be moments of high-level noise.
• PTI will also be focused on removing doors where applicable, routing/boring and glass removal where needed and installation of door hardware. Work may also include installation of wall mounted card readers. Actions include but are not limited to cutting, drilling and high-level noise to accomplish the necessary work.

With the installation of the new technology on Reynolda Campus and at Wake Downtown, Wake Forest is aligned with other colleges and universities that have invested in safety and security devices for the classroom.

The Deacon One Office appreciates the community’s cooperation and patience while installing the new safety devices. Email deacononecard@wfu.edu or your department space manager with any questions or concerns as the project progresses.