DaSheek Akwenye, Associate Director of the Student Life & Wellness Center, explained that the Boon Edam entrances were specified during the design and construction phase of the four-floor, $40 million building. All students must enter the facility through the main entrance and choose one of the three staggered turnstiles, using either their university ID or their handprint to scan in.

“If students forget their ID, it takes just seconds to register a handprint for future use with the integrated biometric readers,” said Akwenye, “it’s very convenient.” The swinging gates operate both ways for entering users, as well as those exiting the facility. “The gates and the access control operate together in such a way that it takes approximately six seconds to enter through the entrance, and only one person can enter during that period. No sneaking in before or after means we have excellent control to prevent tailgating into the centre,” Akwenye said “We really love the Boon Edam entrances so far, they’re great.”

Utah Valley University has an enrollment of more than 33,000 students—the largest university in Utah. Daily traffic into the student center runs from 1,200-1,500 users. The centre is open Monday through Friday, 6:00 am-10:00 pm, and Saturday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. The Reception Desk always has staff on hand as an initial point of contact, for registration, and to answer any questions.

After installation, Boon Edam’s National Sales Manager Glen Tracy visited the campus to educate staff on the use of the turnstiles and to help in the process of getting users acclimated to what was a new entrance scheme at the University. “It took a short while to get used to them, but once users got the hang of it, things have gone very smoothly,” recalled Akwenye.

He continued, “Students like the high-tech feel of the entrances. These turnstiles bring a very nice, vibrant feel to our entrance lobby, and they have an attractive design.” Freshman and new students receive orientation to the building and the entrance protocols during an orientation tour. At that time, each student registers to use the facility, including the biometric registration. The whole process takes no more than two minutes.

When someone enters the facility, registration staff get a visual record of who has entered, to ensure that person belongs to the ID used. “It’s been really smooth, even if we have a large group, like a basketball team, then we have manual controls at the reception desk and can open the gates and shut them automatically. We’ve never had any long lines or backlog,” said Akwenye.