Dorm Room Safes Keep Belongings Secure

Dorm Room Safe

Henderson State University eliminated problems of theft in student dorms by using the Sentinel 2 safe to store important student belongings.

Today's students arrive on campus with cell phones, laptops, video games, digital cameras — the list grows every year. Keeping track of all this must-have “stuff” is a challenge for even the most organized student, and the sock drawer just isn’t cutting it anymore. Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, AR, was no different than any other school and was unfortunately experiencing “crimes of opportunity” regarding these devices. Action needed to be taken.

Dan Mabery, assistant vice president for student affairs/director of residence life knew exactly what to do: contact SafeDecisions. “Since we installed safes in our residence halls, the theft has virtually disappeared. The students, parents as well as the school have real peace of mind,” says Mabery. “We love that it is large enough to hold a laptop, and that the company is very customer service-oriented and flexible. This is something every university should try to work into their budget.”

What made the safes so successful at Henderson State is the fact that there are no keys to lose, and 24/7 customer support is always just a phone call away. Schools like Henderson State are able to quickly and efficiently implement an anti-theft program without investing considerable time or energy — both valuable resources for any college administrator.

SafeDecisions installs the same safes found in the Waldorf Astoria and the Ritz-Carlton in student residences across the country. SafeDecisions has already installed thousands of in-room electronic safes at some of the country’s most well known schools, including Brown, Rutgers, Northeastern, Seton Hall and the University of Pennsylvania.

Whether it’s a laptop, digital camera or prescription medication, all college students have important belongings they don’t want to lose. With electronic in-room safes from SafeDecisions, now they have one place where they know they can always find those things quickly.

www.safedec.com/universities

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management December 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.