Key and Card Access FAQs

Last updated: August 2026

When are the exterior entrance doors to Bass, Burton, Ford, McConnell, or Sabin-Reed open?

As of Monday August 17, 2026 the exterior entrance doors to Bass, Burton, Ford, McConnell, and Sabin Reed will require OneCard access for entry 24/7.

  • Employees who work in or students who take courses in any of the above buildings can access those buildings 24/7 with their OneCard.

    • For example, if you work in Bass, you can access Bass, Ford, Burton, Sabin-Reed, and McConnell 24/7.

  • Students and Smith employees who do not work or take courses in Burton, Sabin-Reed, Bass, McConnell, or Ford halls can enter these buildings with their OneCard between between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, and between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

  • For NEW key and card access requests for interior doors or NEW requests for exterior door access to the science buildings, please continue to use this form. You do NOT need to submit a request if you or your students already have access. This includes 24/7 access for research students.

  • During this transition if your OneCard is not working on exterior doors, please contact ithelp@smith.edu

Please include

        • Card holder’s name and Smith ID
        • Preferred contact method (phone? Text? email?)  and contact information
        • Time and door location of access failure-building and exterior door location or building and room number
        • What did the card reader do?: Did the light turn green or red? Was it a short flash or solid? Could you hear the lock mechanism click? Was there a beeping sound?

  • Please carry your OneCard with you at all times to ensure you have access to buildings.

What if I need to request access for an event in these buildings that includes guests who are not part of the Smith Community?

Submit a request for your event here.

What if I have a guest (a speaker, equipment technician, job candidate, etc.)?

Please follow the protocols for guests who  visit the science buildings. The short answer is,  you’ll need to arrange to meet your guest at the door.

If I approve a request for my lab or another space I grant access to, what is my responsibility?

By confirming the access request, you have certified the following: 
“I confirm that I am responsible for the space(s) included in the request and take responsibility for access of the individual(s) mentioned. I authorize that the access recipient(s) may gain access to the space when I am not present. I certify that I have trained access recipients in the work to be performed (if any), the particular hazards associated with the lab or room, have given them any written emergency protocols specific to working in the space, and trained the person on what to do in case of an emergency.”

Are there spaces that require special permission and/or additional certification?

If access privileges are requested to one of the following spaces, the person listed will have to approve before use:

Bass Hall 102, 103, server room – Tony Caldanaro
Burton 113- Mind Lab-Maya Rosen
Burton 406 – Reid Bertone-Johnson
FH024A Human Tissue Lab – Susan Voss
FH031 Prokaryotic Cell Culture Lab – Christine White-Ziegler
FH031A Prokaryotic Cell Culture Lab – Christine White-Ziegler
FH032 Plant Growth Chamber – Jess Gersony
FH036 500 MHZ NMR room – Dave Gorin/Cristina Suarez
FH121A Fluorescence Microscopy – TBD
FH123 CMBS Instrumentation Room – Riccardo Racicot
FH130 Tissue Culture – Rob Dorit
FH141 (Adjacent to Loading Dock) – Margaret Rakas 
FH145 Design Clinic – Teaching Lab – Susannah Howe
FH222 Mass Spec -Robert Samples
Ford Greenhouse-Jess Gersony
McConnell B12-a.k.a The Tinker Tank – Dale Renfrow or Erin Solomon
Sabin Reed-ACF – Karen Swiecanski (all users of the facility have to complete the appropriate training)
Sabin Reed 449 – Tissue Culture – Michael Baressi
Sabin Reed 450- Cryostat Lab -Lisa Mangiamele