Approved by President's Cabinet 8/12/20; 8/23/22; 3/14/24
Overview
This policy applies to all EGSC facilities on the Swainsboro campus, except the EGSC residential facilities. Keys to student rooms in Bobcat Villas are issued by the Residence Life staff. Building access and key issuance procedures for the EGSC Augusta location are controlled by Augusta University policies and are set forth separately herein. Building access and key issuance procedures for EGSC Statesboro are controlled by Georgia Southern University as set forth separately herein.
EGSC-Swainsboro
Master (key control for a building or entire suite) and sub-master keys (key control for a particular area) will be issued only when there is a demonstrated need for them. Direct reports to the President must request sub- and master keys for the areas in which they control (example: Suite, Computer Labs, Science Labs, etc.). Directors may request keys for areas over which they have control. The Director of Human Resources, Chief of Public Safety, and Vice President for Business Affairs review each key request and must collectively approve each request. The President must approve all requests for grand master keys once requests are forwarded by the Director of Human Resources. Replacement fees will be imposed for lost or stolen keys, regardless of the circumstances. It will not be considered appropriate to charge replacement fees to College budgets. Individuals, not departments, are responsible for keys.
Human Resources is responsible for the issuance of all keys (except for residents as noted above), as well as the collection of keys upon termination or resignation of employees.
Building Access and Security Policy
Exterior doors to campus buildings will be unlocked by custodial personnel by 7:00 a.m. each business day, Monday through Friday. Exterior doors to campus buildings will be locked by Public Safety no later than thirty minutes after the last scheduled activity in a building (hours may vary semester to semester). Individual departments and/or units are responsible for locking and unlocking areas under their control (i.e. classrooms, offices, storage areas, etc.).
After buildings have been secured, access may be permitted by a Public Safety officer upon presentation of proper EGSC identification and a stated reason for access to the building. All interior doors will be re-locked by custodial personnel upon completion of cleaning operations of each room.
Public Safety shall have the responsibility of unlocking and re-locking doors for all events scheduled during hours outside of normal operating hours which appear on the Campus Events Calendar or through the facilities scheduling work order system.
Key Issuance and Key Control Policy
Keys are not to be issued to students or temporary staff.
Special assignment of keys, where required (such as contractors or vendors), may be authorized by the Director of Plant Operations.
Permanent employees (full and part time) may be issued keys to college buildings upon written approval of the director (exterior door, suite door, office door) for the area in which they control, or by the direct report to the President (submaster and master key or specialty keys for areas such as lab storage, Athletic storage, etc.) for the area in which they control.
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- Keys are issued for entry to college buildings for the purpose of conducting college business
- Building keys are clearly labeled “Do Not Duplicate” and any attempt to duplicate is
- An authorized employee entering or leaving a locked building shall not permit any individual to enter who would not normally be permitted to enter the building during the hours it is locked.
- An authorized employee may have guests so long as the guests stay in the proximity of the employee having the assigned key. The authorized employee assumes full responsibility for their presence.
- An authorized employee entering or leaving a locked building shall be responsible for securing the exterior door and may be held responsible for any loss or damage to college property resulting from failure to do so.
- Authorized employees transferring to another department or building may be issued new keys upon the written approval of the dean or director in accordance with the above.
All keys issued remain the property of the college and shall be returned to Human Resources under the following conditions:
For employees
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- Upon transfer to another department or
- Upon termination of
- Upon request of the AVP or
- Upon being granted a leave of absence without pay for a period of 30 or more calendar days; however, employees granted such leaves may retain their key(s) if they are authorized by their dean or director to have access to the building and/or office during the leave.
It is the responsibility of the appropriate AVP or director to ensure that all keys are returned to Human Resources under the provisions above.
In no case is a key to be transferred from one individual to another, or to be obtained from any source other than Human Resources. Should a transfer of a key occur without consent as detailed above, the key shall be recovered, and the individual(s) involved reported to the administrative head for appropriate action.
Keys to desks, file cabinets, cabinets, lockers and drawers are not covered under provisions of this policy. The Human Resources Office will furnish these keys upon request by the AVP or director of a department. The issue, control and recovery of these keys are the responsibilities of the AVP or director.
The types and number keys issued will be limited to the minimum required by regular work assignments.
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- The permanent issuance of building grand master keys will be limited to the president, vice presidents, and those service departments needing access to campus facilities (Plant Operations, Public Safety, Information Technology).
- The permanent issuance of building sub-master keys will be limited to AVP or
- Two or more keys may be issued to those requiring access to several rooms throughout entire
Procedures for the issuance and return of keys may be altered by the Human Resources Office, with approval as previously noted, as needed to meet work requirements throughout the campus.
Key Replacement Fees
The loss or theft of any key is to be reported immediately to the AVP or director, who in turn will notify the Human Resources Office. Employees who lose keys will be subjected to the replacement cost of rekeying of the facility or area affected by lost keys. Dependent upon the circumstances by which the keys were lost or stolen, the three-member approval authority as noted above will make an immediate decision regarding the need to rekey a space. Employees will be notified of the decision immediately.
Lost keys turned in to a department are to be forwarded immediately to the Human Resources Office.
Replacement of a lost or stolen key, rekeying of a facility or any portion thereof, or failure to return an issued key by its due date or upon an employee’s last day of employment is subject to a fee as stated below:
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- A replacement fee of $15 will be charged for each key not
- A rekeying fee of $5.00 per interior door and $10.00 per exterior door, as well as a fee of $5.00 per key required to be re-issued .
Key replacement and re-keying fees, as well as the cost for keys that are not returned, will be deducted from the employee’s paycheck.
Key replacement or rekeying fees cannot be charged to college budgets.
EGSC-Augusta Key Policy
This policy applies to the issuance and control of keys, and to account for keys, distributed to faculty/staff at the EGSC Augusta location. Building/room keys are distributed by the Public Safety Office at Augusta University.
Process & Procedures
As defined by Augusta University’s Key Control Policy, keys to buildings, offices and any other secured areas will be issued to employees, staff, students and faculty on the basis of demonstrated need. Once the need is identified, a key request is submitted by the Institutional Services Coordinator at the Augusta location. The form must be signed by the employee that will retrieve the key from Augusta University. Employees of EGSC-Augusta will follow processes and procedures defined by Augusta University regarding the issuance of keys and lost or stolen keys.
Return of Keys
Upon termination, resignation or retirement, all EGSC-Augusta employees must complete the EGSC Augusta Campus Staff/Faculty Clearance Form. Signatures must be obtained from the following departments: Key Control, Parking and JagCard. This policy applies to all full-time and part-time employees of East Georgia State College (regardless of campus), that have obtained any of the services mentioned above (i.e. key(s), permanent parking pass, JagCard ID). Final paycheck may be withheld until a faculty member returns keys to Augusta University.
Augusta University Key Control Policy (PDF)
EGSC-Statesboro Key Policy
This policy applies to the issuance and control of keys, and to account for keys, distributed to faculty/staff at the EGSC-Statesboro location. Building/room keys are distributed by the Lock Shop at Georgia Southern University.
Keys to buildings, offices and any other secured areas will be issued to employees, staff, students and faculty on the basis of demonstrated need. Once the need is identified, a key request is submitted by the EGSC Director. The form must be signed by the employee that will retrieve the key from Georgia Southern University. Employees of EGSC-Statesboro will follow processes and procedures defined by Georgia Southern University regarding the issuance of keys and lost or stolen keys.
Return of Keys
Upon termination, resignation or retirement, keys should be turned into the EGSC-Statesboro Director. Final paycheck may be withheld until a faculty member returns keys to Georgia Southern University.
