Turnstiles and tension: Barnard reimagines campus security in 2025

Campus accessibility at Barnard has become increasingly complex with newly implemented turnstiles and staff layoffs.

Photo by Karissa Song/The Barnard Bulletin

By Nicole Santiago

November 13, 2025

Updated November 14 at 2:51 p.m.

For decades, neighboring residents often strolled freely through Barnard’s campus, children played on the lawn, and visitors were able to join public events. This freedom has since changed.

Over the past few months, Barnard has implemented several initiatives and heightened security measures aimed at enhancing campus safety for the 2025-2026 academic year. As part of these new additions, turnstiles and security personnel have been installed at the 40 Claremont Avenue entrance to the Milstein Center and the Milbank Hall campus entrance on West 120th Street and Broadway. Previously, these entrances were unattended and swipe-access. 

Along with Barnard’s existing security procedures, these new features “ensure that the campus is safe first, and then accessible,” a Barnard spokesperson explained. This has visibly created longer wait times for students during peak hours and made spontaneous socializing difficult since non-affiliated friends cannot drop in freely.

Turnstiles will also be installed at the entrances to the Brooks and Sulzberger residence halls this semester, according to an email sent on September 3 by Kelli Murray, Vice President for Strategy and Chief Administrative Officer. This fall, campus remained at Level B security, limiting entry to BCID and CUID holders and their approved guests with the main gate as the primary point of entry. Additionally, at Level B, a CARES officer may ask students to unmask or undergo bag searches. Murray noted that access level and campus entry points “may change as the needs arise throughout the semester.”

This announcement comes amid ongoing concern regarding Barnard’s financial situation as the College has accumulated $252 million in project debt. In an effort to reduce spending and alleviate this debt, Barnard has made budget cuts in several areas. One of these budget cuts included a “College-wide Staff Restructuring” announced in July, which resulted in the layoffs of 77 full-time employees, including some security personnel. Now, the residence halls of the Quad are no longer staffed by security although the new turnstiles in the Milstein Center and Milbank Hall are attended where they previously were not.

“The turnstiles are more efficient than what we had [in previous years] but unfair to people who were employed here before,” said Samantha Xie (BC ’29). In Xie’s opinion, the new security measures are “somewhat necessary to protect the safety of the students.” 

While Xie sees the system as a necessary trade-off, others worry about its effectiveness. Amani Kaur (BC ’29) believes the possibility of non-Barnard students walking into the dorms is still high and unfair. She argues that the best way to truly protect Barnard students is to “have both staff and turnstiles,” comparing this approach to Columbia’s dorm setup, which employs both security personnel and an electronic entry system. Kaur added that this combination would prevent outsiders from entering simply by following a Barnard student who tapped their ID. 

Prior to the 2023-2024 academic year, students had Level A campus access with outside guests being allowed to enter Columbia and Barnard’s campus without a BCID or CUID. Barnard was actively a part of the community, allowing Morningside Heights residents to enter campus and prospective students to tour the campus themselves.

Upperclass students recall Barnard allowing entry through the main gates without ID scanning. Fatima Bagom (BC ’26) said, “There are pros and cons to the increased security, but I always admired watching families and children able to appreciate and take advantage of campus.” 

Barnard’s new implementations have taken away a great sense of community once felt and seen. As turnstiles continue to swing open at the entrance, Barnard students are still adjusting to a new rhythm of campus life, one shaped as much by security as by community ties.

Editor's Note: This article has been corrected for accuracy by changing the attribution of the statement from a CARES spokesperson to a Barnard spokesperson.