University Of Colorado, Denver: Next Phase Of Visible Campus ID Initiative To Expand To More CU Denver Buildings

Press release from the University of Colorado, Denver :

Alex DeWind

January 25, 2022

In the spirit of improving safety, CU Denver last fall implemented a pilot initiative requiring all Lynx to display their campus IDs when entering the CU Denver Building (located at 14th and Lawrence streets). The pilot program started in response to an uptick in theft and unauthorized individuals entering campus buildings, which are within or adjacent to downtown Denver, and students asking for an additional safety layer. 

The pilot program was a success. As a result, the CU Denver Building experienced no thefts and no vandalism for the entire fall 2021 semester, according to the CU Denver Building Emergency Preparedness and Safety Committee, a group of faculty and staff members who initiated the visible campus ID initiative. “In our collective memory of more than a decade, this is the first semester we can report such positive statistics,” said Liz Marsh, head of the committee and an academic advisor in the College of Architecture and Planning (CAP), which is housed in the CU Denver Building. 

Due to the pilot program’s positive outcomes and support, the visible badge initiative has been expanded to the Business School starting this semester, with plans underway to make visible badging required in all CU Denver buildings.

How to Easily Wear Your Badge 

How to Easily Wear Your Badge 

All students, faculty, and staff in the CU Denver Building and Business School are required to show their badge while indoors, whether it be on a lanyard, an ID holder, or clipped to clothes with a retractable badge holder. Lanyards can be found at various stations throughout the CU Denver Building and Business school. ID holders and retractable badge holders are sold on campus at the Tivoli Station Bookstore, or they can be purchased from popular retailers such as Amazon. Please do not punch holes through the badge itself, as it will damage your badge and could restrict your access to campus resources. 

CU Denver Building Used for Pilot Due to Location and Occupants  

CU Denver Building Used for Pilot Due to Location and Occupants  

The CU Building, along with the Business School and the Lawrence Street Center, face unique safety and security challenges as their physical space is within downtown Denver, across Speer Boulevard from the main Auraria Campus. The CU Denver Building, specifically, serves a unique student experience, housing CAP, the College of Arts and Media, and InWorks, CityCenter, and English as a Second Language, which all require in-person activity, often in specialized labs. When the CU Denver Building Emergency Preparedness and Safety Committee formed in 2018, among their first recommendations was to restrict building access to members of the CU Denver community and guests. 

In their continued commitment to occupant and building safety—and with the support of the CU Denver Budget Office, Emergency Management Division, CU Denver Facilities Management, Department of Environmental Health and Safety, and Allied Security staff—the CU Denver Building Emergency Preparedness and Safety Committee implemented phase one of the visible badge initiative in August 2021. The initiative, which helps security guards and other campus members identify who is and is not a member of the campus community, requires students, faculty, and staff occupying the building to have their campus ID visible, whether it be on a lanyard, an ID holder, or clipped to clothes with a retractable badge holder.

“The program fell easily into our scope and had overwhelming support of staff members,” Marsh said.

Positive Response from Building Students, Faculty, and Staff 

Positive Response from Building Students, Faculty, and Staff 

To increase community participation and garner feedback on the pilot visible campus ID initiative, a survey was sent to students, faculty, and staff who learn and teach in the CU Denver Building. Of the 225 respondents, 47% indicated that their sense of security increased, 41% indicated it makes it easier to identify members of the Lynx community, and 79% indicated that they felt like they were treated with respect and sensitivity. Badges represent an individual’s identity and can be viewed as a symbol of dedication, inclusion, and commitment to an organization. Many respondents expressed gratitude for increasing building security and support for the expansion of the initiative to other CU Denver campus buildings. 

“The visible badges help me know who should and should not be in the building,” one respondent said. 

“Badge wearing definitely offers a sense of security and it helps me feel secure in the building and on campus,” another commented.

Campus leaders foresee the campus ID initiative expanding to the Lawrence Street Center in the coming months and all CU Denver campus buildings by the start of the fall 2022 semester. Updates will be shared in CU Denver News.

This press release was produced by the University of Colorado, Denver. The views expressed here are the author’s own.