By: Meher Ahmed <[email protected]>

As students file into the media center, media department chairperson Bonnie Grimble awaits their confusion. As expected, the uncertainty was running high on the first day of the new policy.

To attain a media center SRT pass, a student first needs a teacher print out a pass from that teacher’s computer. The teacher then fills the form out with very specific information, including the student’s ID number, what he or she may be using in the media center, and what assignment the student will be working on.

Students are also required to have their SRT teacher sign it and write their phone number as well. Once the student makes it to the media center, he or she must scan their student ID and keep their pass with them at all times.

“The purpose of the new system is to make sure that SRT is used for a stated purpose,” Grimble said.

“The previous system had no accountability,” she said. “We had 300 to 400 students, but the number was not a problem. The students had no purpose, they were disruptive and used the media center to socialize.”

Junior Alex Yin expressed a similar opinion as Grimble. “A lot of people come to the media center to slack off,” he said.

However, Yin said that the new policy is too strict. “Two passes and three teachers signatures is kind of overkill,” Yin said.

Grimble said she feels the new system provides accountability for teachers, something the old system did not accomplish.

“First semester, we had no record of who came, there was no accountability. We never knew who came. The ID scanner provides that information,” Grimble said.

The information from the ID scanner is printed out at the end of every day, along with the passes collected from the students. If a teacher has any questions about whether a student checked into the media center or not, librarians and volunteers can easily and quickly check if they did.

The new system seemed effective, as the media center was much quieter on the day the new system was implemented.

Senior David Pison said that the new policy gives students who needed to use the media center more priority. “(With the old system), it was easier to get passes, but now in general its more difficult,” Pison said.

Senior Kevin Courtney agrees. “It’s a lot of work, it might deter some kids from using the library, which is a shame since there are a lot of resources here,” Courtney said.

The media center has yet to see the total outcome of the new system, but it seems to be working well by bringing students who earnestly want to use the resources in the media center.

“It’s still too early to tell, but the biggest challenge is educating students that they must have a completed form and they must have their student ID,” Grimble said.

Grimble said the new system has brought purpose and accountability. “We’re not baby-sitting anymore.”