One of the most dangerous jobs on campus might be held by four 1-inch-by-6-inch wooden slats at the entrance to the Traditions Square apartment complex.

"I saw a guy just totally plow through all of them. It was an old Ford Bronco. The gates did absolutely nothing to his car," said Charles Odom, Traditions resident and zoology and biomedical sciences senior.

Some Traditions residents and visitors have expressed frustration with the gate system.

Residents swipe their OU IDs at the gates to enter the apartment complex. Visitors are required to park outside the gates on Asp Avenue and walk into the complex.

Johnnie-Margaret McConnell, Traditions area coordinator, said each resident's OU ID is verified against OU's OneCard system, and only the cards of residents and Traditions staff provide access.

Traditions resident Rudy Sandoval, computer science sophomore, said the gates are knocked down almost every week and replaced by the next day. The gates usually end up on the ground at night or over the weekend.

Traditions Troubleso Some residents and visitors have expressed frustration with the gates at Traditions Square.o To get through the gates, residents must swipe their Sooner OneCard; visitors have to park outside the gates and walk to the complex.o Housing and Food Services has not kept track of how many times the Traditions gates have been replaced.

"It's a persistent little hassle that I have to deal with every single day," Sandoval said. "The main thing I really don't like is how other people that I know can't get in. Either they have to walk or I go out there and swipe them in."

Gate problems arise

Residents said those without access have found ways to circumvent the gates.

Odom said some drivers will drive onto the curb next to the gate and lift it with their arm enough to allow their car to activate the sensor.

The flower bed next to the gate shows signs of landscape repair and tire tracks from cars driving across it.

Rachel Daniel, letters sophomore, said her boyfriend currently lives in Traditions. She said drivers will line up cars and speed through the gate when a resident opens the gate.

Daniel said although she has moved out of Traditions, her card still raises the gates.

McConnell said that should not happen because the system is updated as soon as a student moves out.

Odom is a delivery driver for Jimmy John's Gourmet Subs. He said delivery drivers always encounter headaches when delivering to Traditions residents. If his restaurant receives an order from the complex, Odom will usually deliver it.

Some restaurants refuse to deliver to Traditions because they can't park close enough to their customers, Odom said.

During the recent winter weather, Odom said he saw a car slide through an access gate that was frozen shut. All of the gates were broken over the weekend of the ice storm.

"I think it's really pointless because it's not working," Odom said. "If it was metal gates, it would be different, but instead it's these wooden-plastic things."

McConnell said Housing and Food Services does not keep track of how many times maintenance workers from the Physical Plant have replaced the Traditions gates.

"We immediately get it fixed and operational so we can secure space for those who are contracted to live with us," McConnell said.

Saving spots or safety

When students sign a contract to live in Traditions, the complex guarantees each of the 576 residents a place to park within the gates, McConnell said.

"When the gates were included in the Traditions Square complex, the intent was to secure those parking spaces for those who are contracted to live with us," McConnell said.

Sandoval said he never has a problem finding a parking spot near his apartment because the parking lot is never full.

"I don't see why other people would want to park there when they could just go to Lloyd Noble and take the bus," Sandoval said.

Although reserving spots is the primary reason for the gates, OU Police Sgt. Gary Robinson said safety is always a concern in parking areas like the Traditions lot. A gate is an "immediate visual deterrent" to help discourage car burglary, theft or armed robbery.

"We've got a lot of high-dollar vehicles that are parked in there," Robinson said. "Those are nice apartments. (The gate) is the first line of defense to help deter that kind of activity."

McConnell said campus security officers patrol Traditions at night, while adequate lighting and the Safewalk program will help residents who are walking from the visitors' parking to the apartments.

"We feel that those officers combined with the presence of our staff during the day does give wonderful security to our residents," McConnell said. "I feel that our complex is very secure."

Coming up with solutions

There are other ways to protect the complex that would be more convenient for residents, Sandoval said.

"I wouldn't mind seeing more surveillance, maybe cameras or something," Sandoval said.

Traditions does not have surveillence cameras, Robinson said.

But he said that, despite their cost, cameras are an excellent method for preventing and solving crime.

Odom said residents, visitors and his fellow delivery drivers are annoyed by the lack of options with the gate system.

"I think if they could somehow make it to where guests can call up to the room and we could buzz them or punch in a code like some of the other apartment complexes," Odom said. "That would be better."

McConnell said she is aware of some of the gate issues and that possible changes could be coming in the future.

"We are looking at improvements in our current gate system that we may implement beginning in the fall," McConnell said. "As to what those are, we haven't decided at this point."
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