Olympic st. gate made official Samo entrance

The policy for which gate to use during school hours has been changed. The new policy now favors the Olympic and 6th gate, adjacent to the tennis courts.According the Samo’s website, visitors on campus should know that the campus entrances have changed to better serve our community both on and off campus.The Michigan street gate is open for entering campus at 7:15-9:15 a.m, leaving for lunch at 12:30-1:15 p.m and leaving school at 2:20 p.m onward.Samo’s dean of students, Catherine Baxter, explained that the change was an administrative decision that has been in the works since last year. Security made the final call, and because parking reserved for Samo on 7th and Michigan has been reduced, administration has found an alternative that will work for students and visitors. The 6th and Olympic gate has parking and leads directly into the quad. “[The new policy] is more welcoming to the community,” Baxter said.The 6th and Olympic gate, while it appears to just access the thin road leading into the quad, it also accesses the new parking lot across from the Innovation Building. It is much more convenient for visitors, especially if an event happens on campus. Baxter considers it to be overall easier for staff and parents.The new policy is also more convenient for security. When the 7th and Michigan gate was used as the main gate during school hours, security officers had to drop what they were doing to head across campus, check the visitor, unlock the gate, sign them in, and then lock up behind them. Now, a security officer can be posted to the 6th and Olympic gate and the security schedule can be more stable.