President talks of closed campus issue

By Sophia Potter
Staff Writer

When it comes to alumni Star Card access, LCC President Dr. Steve Robinson wants the entire community to know that he is listening.

More than that, he said he deeply understands the need to “balance safety concerns with our very strong mission of access, inclusion, and our tagline of ‘you belong here.’”

On Monday, Sept. 16, Robinson addressed a large crowd at the most recent LCC Board of Trustees meeting, speaking directly on policy changes set to take place in January of 2025.

“I’ve talked to many retirees and alumni about this issue, so I want to directly address it,” he said.

A major takeaway from the official statement is the founding of a task force to directly address one of the biggest concerns the LCC community has: alumni and retirees losing access to the gyms and library.

“After several conversations with our team, with impacted stakeholders ... and with Chair (Angela) Mathews, I’ve asked for a formal exploration of alternative access options to two academic areas: the fitness center on both of our campuses, and the library.”

Robinson stressed that much of this research had already been conducted, but would be re-examined based on public concern as well as new information being collected. All findings are scheduled to conclude in December and will be widely available.

“I’ve assigned our provost (Sally Welch” and Senior VP of Business Operations (Seleana Samuel) to work with academic groups and public safety to explore non-Star Card options for access to these specific areas.”

Overall, Robinson wanted to make clear that as a matter of safety the policy change of limiting building access and no longer issuing retiree and alumni cards would still be moving forward as planned.

“We’re taking this action at the strong recommendation of our public safety and facilities professionals,” Robinson said.

Robinson further explained that having such unrestricted access to a campus or workplace is simply no longer the norm in the industry.

“Star Cards are access badges, and in the 21st Century, they’re essentially like having a big ring of keys to a bunch of buildings,” he said.

“The practice of issuing building keys - or Star Cards, or access badges - to retirees and alumni is not the common practice in higher education, and outside of higher education it’s practically unheard of.”

According to Robinson, there was a large turnout for the board meeting. He repeatedly thanked those who had showed up, and ensured them their comments would be used in the exploration of the issue being led by Welch and Samuel.

The official statement can be viewed here. Concerns regarding the policy change can be anonymously left with the board here.