Make sure that seatbelts are fastened because the new year is right around the corner. A new year will bring new and improved changes for Georgia State students. With the latest advanced technology and including a new Chief of Police and more parking will certainly have a tremendous impact on students as they head into spring semester. These are four things to expect in 2017.
New Biometric Scanners
Swiping panther cards as students enter the Georgia State library will not be a thing of the past. New biometric scanners will replace the card readers. All Georgia State students, faculty, and staff will need to register their fingerprints to be granted access into library North and South. Safety and security is a big concern for students in the library that Georgia State has modeled a specific system as used by the FBI, according to University Library Blog. Long lines are expected to be at the library entrances in January so students are urged to have their prints registered now at the PantherCard Office.
Georgia State Police on Social Media
Brace for impact as new changes are taking place within the Georgia State Police Department. With the arrival of new Police Chief Spillane from the Atlanta Police Department he is implementing a new initiative that will all the police to connect with students by way of social media. Students can expect to connect with Georgia State Police via its social medial platforms by the start of the new year.
Body Cameras
Proving accountability and showing evidence has led to an increase of body cameras in many police departments around the country. Georgia State Police will now be jumping on the bandwagon to ensure safety of Georgia State’s campus. Georgia State Police has ordered 20 body camera and will be running a trial test in 2017.
Turner Field
Georgia State $53 Million redevelopment plan has just been approved. Proposals and developments are underway to convert Turner Field to Panther Football according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Some of the money will be used to purchase surrounding parking lots. Georgia State has implemented a new parking app that informs students on available parking spots in various parking decks according to Director of Marketing and Administrative Support of the Auxiliary and Support Services Chris Connelly from a recent Student Government Association meeting. Students will have more parking space options in the T. Deck come this spring semester according to Connelly.
