Last year Security advised us on a number of occasions that the Microteaching Rooms in Building 5 were found unlocked. Since these rooms contain videorecording facilities, there is some risk of theft, so closers were installed on the doors and the locks modified so the doors always locked when closed.
Now the doors are often found propped open (with no-one in the vicinity), or there are complaints that the rooms are locked and Security won’t open them because they are not Category A rooms. All Building 5 staff keys open the doors, but out of normal business hours it is sometimes difficult for staff and students with legitimate requirements to access the rooms to find someone with an appropriate key.
Where the booking is in the timetable (and the incident that led to this report is in the timetable), Security should open the room. It becomes a little more problematic when students are making out-of-hours bookings for the rooms to record their own presentations (as happens in a number of subjects). Subject convenors may need to give Security a list of students who might reasonably be expected to be given access to the rooms, and Security can then open the rooms if required for students whose names appear on the lists.
