Loyalist College starts new locker registration policy

Taylor Halladay shows off her personalized locker. It is one of many that can now be registered with the college. Photo by Justin Medve, QNet News

By Justin Medve and Brock Ormond

BELLEVILLE – The list of rules that come with having a locker at Loyalist has gotten a bit longer.

After choosing a locker, students are now asked to verify its location and ownership through their myLoyalist student account.

Previously, lockers were claimed on a first-come, first-serve basis with no documentation needed.

The new policy only started this week, meaning students such as Television and New Media’s Taylor Halladay have had time to claim a storage space without registering it.

“I had no idea, seriously, I thought we just picked a locker and that was ours,” she said.

Cory Mestre, co-ordinator of fitness facilities and campus recreation, said that’s understandable.

“I think it’s purely just an awareness thing. As more students become aware of it, I expect that they will take the steps to register it,” Mestre said.

Athletics director Jim Buck said lockers are something the athletics department has been in charge of since he started at Loyalist 28 years ago. He said that there is a promotional plan for the new system in the works.

“Student government is going to do a bit of a social media blitz to get people to be aware of it. Going forward, we’ll try and educate people. Obviously next year it will be much easier because the information will be there for students,” Buck said.

He explained the change was primarily made to simplify the process of students getting into their locker if they need their lock cut.

“If you come and say, ‘my name’s Sally Smith and my locker’s that (number),’ I can go on the portal and find out whether in fact that’s true,” Buck said.

First-year journalism student Mariia Khanenko said she asked faculty about locker registration and said she is surprised to hear that tradition was simply to pick one.

Mariia Khanenko says locker registration is a vital step in school safety. Photo by Justin Medve, QNet News

“It’s kind of weird. I don’t actually feel safe knowing that anyone could put anything in the locker. And afterwards, you can’t find out who that person was,” Khanenko said.

“There should be order and discipline on the campus,” she added.

However, animation student Ryan Smith said he doesn’t see the issue with keeping lockers unregistered.

“It’s college, people are older. Older means you know better,” he said.

Mestre said registering lockers could also help pinpoint potentially dangerous situations.

“Should there be ever any cause or concern of contents of a locker being illicit material or dangerous materials, knowing who is attached to that locker is important as well,” he said.

Buck said the policy will be in place right from the beginning of the next school year to avoid confusion with new and returning students.