“Who’s there?” may become an obsolete phrase in LSU residential halls.
As part of an effort to increase safety on campus, Residential Life recently completed a two-year implementation of peepholes in each residential hall room.
Steve Waller, associate director for facilities of Residential Life, said the project was designed to give students a better sense of security when someone is at their doors.
“Once you open a door and see who it is you might not have the chance to turn them away,” Waller said. “Now with the peepholes you can see who is at the door before you open it.”
Waller said the project took two years to complete, with Blake and Acadian Hall being the final two residential halls to receive the peepholes this summer, and was part of scheduled maintenance on the rooms.
Some students on campus are happy with the improvements made to their dorm rooms.
Leigh Galatas, a political science sophomore, said the peephole is a great addition to the safety element on campus but because of its height she rarely uses it.
“I am only 5 feet tall, and I can’t see out of it,” Galatas said. “The hole is like 4 or 5 inches above my eyes.”
To make up for the 4-inch difference Galatas uses a step stool to look out of her East Laville dorm room.
Galatas said last year while living at Acadian Hall she heard a lot of angry rumblings about people who were peephole-less.
“People wanted them for safety,” Galatas said. “They were not able to open the door because they were unsure of who was on the other side.”
Brandon Bourg, a mechanical engineer senior, is also happy to see each room have a peephole.
Bourg said during the past two years he has used the peephole for safety reasons when he is not expecting any visitors.
The installation of each peephole took about 15 minutes per door, with each costing $4, Waller said. A total of 2,350 rooms on campus received peepholes. The $30,000 taken to complete the project came from the Department of Residential Life.