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- 1). Know that dorms are private. Although located on public school grounds, dormitories and residence halls are considered private property by laws and previous court rulings. While you provide public access to other buildings at your location, you legally have a right to restrict the traffic in your school dorms to only the residents who live there. Most schools don't use such strict requirements because they allow residents to have visitors in the dorms.
- 2). Install key-card systems. Find money in the school's budget to purchase and install a key-card system that restricts access to the dorms. With these systems, each student in the dorms gets an identification card with an electronic code built into it that automatically unlocks the door to the dorms for them when they hold the card in front of the scanner or reader attached to the door. This prevents members of the public as well as visitors to the dorm from walking in without being accompanied by a resident. Some of the companies that make key-card systems include SimplexGrinnell and Keri Systems
- 3). Set visitation rules. Establish rules of when residents can have visitors in the dorm as well as how many visitors they can have at one time. Consider an exception for immediate family members especially in public school dorms that house minors. Inform residents of the rules visitors are expected to adhere to when they are in the dorm and set procedures for dealing with visitors who fail to follow these rules.
- 4). Create a checkpoint. Set up a front desk at the main entrance to the public school dorm. Staff the desk during hours when visitors are allowed in the dorm and require them to sign in or provide identification. Keep a list of all visitors in the dorm and what resident they are visiting.
- 5). Move events. Only hold activities specifically for the residents of a dorm inside the actual dorm facility. Move events and activities open to the public to other buildings on campus. Take your dorms off the room scheduling list for your school, so you don't mistakenly book lobbies or meeting rooms in the dorm for public events in the future.
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