Key Shop

Hours

The key shop is open Monday-Friday from 1:30 – 3 p.m.

Phone: 970.943.3088

Key Policies for Western Colorado University

As an important part of the Western Colorado University safety and security program, the key policy provides legitimate building access for university personnel, establishes issuing authority and accountability for keys, helps ensure privacy and contributes to the protection of persons and property. The policy regulates the issuance, control, use, accounting and return of all university building keys.

1. Key Control Officer: The key control officer is the director of facilities services, located at 100 Maintenance Drive.
2. Issuing Authority: Key issuance authority resides with the president’s cabinet. Cabinet members, in consultation with the key control officer, may delegate key issuing authority to department heads for keys below the Grand Master level. The cabinet retains sole authority for issuance of Grand Master keys.
3. Issuing Authority for Residences: The vice president for student affairs delegates authority to the director of residence life for issuance of keys, except master keys, to occupants of dormitories and apartments.
4. Access: Where there is legitimate demonstrated need, the issuing authority shall approve access via the lowest-level key that is effective. Areas of legitimate need may include a specific building entrance, assigned office, assigned laboratory, areas necessary to perform work and areas of job responsibility.
   1. Issuance of a Grand Master key requires
      • Criminal background check with clearance from campus security and;
      • Cabinet level approval
   2. Employees who require access to an entire building may be issued building Master keys, but not Grand Master keys. Criminal background check with clearance from campus security is required.
   3. Department heads may be issued Master keys for areas for which they are responsible.
   4. Groups of employees requiring access to keys for several work areas shall use electronically controlled lock boxes to register the daily or episodic issuance and return of keys. These groups include custodial employees, maintenance employees, internet technology employees, admissions employees and conference services employees. Other groups may also use lock boxes for access control.
   5. Students are not issued any type of building Master or Grand Master key, with the exception of Resident Advisors and Student Security Guards after a criminal background check and approvals as per 4A and 4B above.
   6. Area access keys issued to students, such as to labs, KWSB, athletics, fitness center, etc, should be limited to an as needed basis and require approval of the department chair.
   7. Emeritus and retired faculty or staff and certain other persons not directly associated with the university are issued keys as a rare exception and only with cabinet level approval.
5. Key Issuance: The key shop is located in the facilities services building at 100 Maintenance Drive. The following procedures apply:
   1. A properly completed and approved Key Request Form is required.
   2. Keys shall only be issued to the authorized responsible individual; no third parties.
   3. Duplicate keys will not be issued.
   4. Identification is required.
   5. Signatures are obtained acknowledging receipt of and responsibility for keys.
6. Responsibility for Keys: Keys are the responsibility of the authorized key holder. To maintain building access control, the following rules apply:
   1. The authorized key holder must safeguard the issued keys at all times.
   2. The authorized key holder shall retain personal possession of the keys; practices such as loaning keys to other employees, leaving keys in areas accessible to others, etc. will not be tolerated.
   3. The authorized key holder shall not transfer or sign out keys to another person.
   4. The authorized key holder shall not misuse keys for illegitimate access.
   5. The authorized key holder shall not make, or allow the making of, copies of the keys.
7. Lost/Stolen Keys: In the event a key is lost or stolen, the key holder is required to:
   1. Notify the key control officer immediately by phone, email or in person.
   2. File a written report with the key control officer and copy the office of campus security (campus security personnel investigate potential key theft situations).
   3. Obtain and complete a new Key Request Card.
   4. Pay re-locking costs as detailed in Appendix A.
8. Replacement Costs: Upon notification of compromised building access due to lost/stolen keys, the key shop personnel will:
   1. Replace all affected cores.
   2. Reissue keys to other authorized key holders.
   3. Compute the total labor and materials cost.
   4. Present the total cost to the accounting department and the responsible key holder.
   5. Re-issue keys to the responsible key holder upon presentation of a new Key Request Form and a receipt for payment of re-locking costs.
9. Damaged Keys: The key shop replaces damaged keys at no charge, if there is no evidence of intentional damage.
10. Return of Keys:  At termination of employment, or at any other time when a key holder no longer needs the issued keys, the key holder will personally return the keys to the Key Control officer. Issuing authorities are responsible for ensuring the return of keys when no longer needed.Failure to return keys has the following consequences:
    1. Unreturned keys are treated as lost/stolen keys; replacement costs are assessed.
    2. Final pay checks may be held or deductions made from final pay checks, and/or transcripts are withheld until re-locking costs are paid.
    3. The authorizing department is charged for re-locking costs, if the costs are unrecoverable from the key holder.
11. Key Audit: The key control officer is responsible for conducting an annual audit of all keys issued by the college. The key control officer may delegate tasks related to this function. After the key audit is completed, the key control officer shall report any unaccounted for keys to the issuing authority. The college considers all unaccounted for keys as lost/stolen. All procedures for lost/stolen keys apply and the key holder is responsible for re-locking costs.
12. Lock Box Audit: The office of campus security periodically reviews reports generated by the electronic key lock boxes used by groups of employees. Security personnel investigate abnormal patterns of key usage or unusual building access activity and if necessary, report suspected key misuse to the appropriate administrators.

Key Costs

Key holders responsible for keys that are lost, stolen, unaccounted for upon audit, or otherwise unavailable for return, pay the minimum charges in the schedule below for re-locking expenses. If the cost of re-locking is in excess of the minimum charge, the key holder’s department is charged re-locking costs of $50 per door (or more).

Minimum Charges