Much to the joy of students and faculty alike, new card readers have been installed in both Cullen Auditorium and the Chapel on the Hill.

Mark Lewis, assistant dean for Spiritual Life and Chapel Programs, said the new card readers will make signing in and out of Chapel forums easier.

“It’s a lot more efficient than having to hand enter them or physically upload the physical readers,” Lewis said.  “It’s just smoother.”

Lewis said the card readers were installed in Cullen and the Chapel on the Hill because these are the two most frequently used venues for Tuesday/Thursday Chapels and forums, and also because the old methods of signing in were inefficient.

“The portable readers and signing in by hand just take longer,” Lewis said.  “With these built-in dedicated readers, it will just be so much quicker for the students.”

Jack Hodge, freshman political science major from Dallas, said the old portable card-readers were annoying.

“It was just kind of a hassle because you’d have to wait in line and sometimes they wouldn’t work,” Hodge said.

Caroline Gafford, sophomore biochemistry major from Dallas, said she became worried because it took so long for the office to manually enter all the students that all of her Chapel credits were not showing up.

“I was like ‘Where are all my Chapel credits?'” Gafford said.  “I’ve been going every day.”

The portable readers and sign-ins were not only interfering with students trying to get to Chapel on time, but it also affected those leading Chapel.

The Seekers of the Word Drama Ministry ran into troubles during their Chapel forum, because students were not aware of the new card readers and had to sign in manually.

Gafford, who is a member of Seekers, said they started the forum late because students were still signing in when it came time to start.

“We had planned for an hour performance, but we started late so we went over,” Gafford said.

Meghann McLeskey, junior nursing major from Burnet, said she views the new card readers as a chance for more fellowship among students.

“With more chances to swipe in, you won’t be crowded around the door at the front,” McLeskey said.  “You’ll get to sit down sooner and you’ll get more time to talk to your friends.”