The University Police Department, led by Police Chief Ken Kennedy, has proposed that after-hours access for art students be revoked, requiring a faculty member to be on hand when they are using facilities late.

Currently, a select number of students have access to the building and its facilities until midnight every day, according to art student Sarah Volkl, who is one of the students with after-hours access.

The UPD brought the matter to the Access Control Committee, which in turn took the issue to the Academic Affairs office. Vice President of Academic Affairs Pat Lipira will present on the topic at today’s Board of Governors meeting.

According to Volkl, dust was kicked up when the art department requested that secondary education students who are taking ceramics classes be granted after-hours access, prompting the UPD to question why anyone had access.

Volkl will be presenting to the Student Senate on the matter at Wednesday night’s body meeting.

According to Student Senator Kyle Prisock, after-hours access is essential to some of the art students’ education.

“I don’t need access after hours with my major,” said Prisock. “But an art student probably isn’t going to have access to a pottery wheel outside of the facility.”

As it stands, few students have access to the art facilities after hours and the ones who do are required to swipe a card that is logged upon entering the building, according to Kennedy. The UPD does have access to the information.

“If we went to the card office and asked them for it [we could get it],” said Kennedy.

Volkl doesn’t believe access should be the police’s decision.

“A police department shouldn’t be able to dictate my educational curriculum,” said Volkl. “It would be so much more effecient to put up a camera than require faculty to be here and have to pay them.”