Policy on Access Control Management

Dated: August 29, 2022
Supersedes: Policy­­­­­­ on Outside Contractors dated February 16, 2016, and Policy on Campus Identification Badges and Access to Buildings and Parking Lots dated March 7, 2016
Last Reviewed: August 26, 2024

I. Purpose

To establish guidelines for the issuance and use of a New York Medical College (“College” or “NYMC”) access card or an identification card granting access or permitting persons in college buildings, rooms, and gated parking lots.

II. Policy

It is the policy of the College to issue an Access Card with a photograph of the holder to anyone authorized for regular access to campus buildings and/or gated parking lots.  An existing employee must initiate the process for the applicant using the College’s DocuSign process to request the Access Card.

The Access Card will identify the applicant, as defined below, as authorized to be on campus or in campus buildings and to provide access as authorized. When an Access Card is not approved or is deemed to be inappropriate, an Identification Card may be issued instead.

Card holders are required to have their Access/Identification Cards visible while in any building on campus and to show them to campus staff upon request.   If cards are not displayed, card holders may be treated as a trespasser and asked to leave the campus.

Lost Access/Identification Cards must immediately be reported to Public Safety for deactivation and issuance of a new card.  Lost cards may incur a replacement fee.

III. Scope

This policy applies to anyone seeking access to NYMC’s campus buildings and/or gated parking lots except for short-term visitors who are accompanied by Employees, Students or Tenants with Access Cards at all times while on campus.

IV. Definitions

Access Card – a plastic card identical in appearance to an Identification Card but with a proximity chip granting the user access to programmed doors and parking gates on campus. 

Daily Contact – providing Public Safety with a list of personnel or physically checking in to Public Safety to account for each Short-term Contractor staff member on campus.  This is required for every day they will be on campus.

Designated NYMC Administrator – NYMC/Touro Executive Stakeholder as defined by the NYMC policy on the Development, Issuance and Maintenance of Policies or their authorized delegate.

Employees – any person employed by New York Medical College or Touro College of Dental Medicine.

Everyday Contractors – individuals not directly employed by the College but hired via contract to work at the College to provide service(s) for which access to campus buildings is required on a consistent basis. Everyday contractors may include but are not limited to housekeeping staff, food services personnel and research assistants

Identification Card – a plastic card with a photograph, name, and title of the card holder.  Also on the card are the NYMC and Touro logos. This card is for identification and does not unlock any doors or parking gates on campus.

Limited Access Contractors – individuals not directly employed by the College but hired via contract to work at the College to provide service(s) for which access to campus buildings is required for a limited time and a specified service or task. Limited Access contractors may be on campus for a few hours to a few months working on a specific project.  Limited Access contractors are given ‘limited’ access to campus, to cover only the scope of their project.

Resident - M.D. a graduate program participant assigned to an affiliated hospital.

Safety Training – as defined in College policy SS.104 and referred to as “New Employee          Orientation” course provided by Environmental Health and Safety.

Students – any person enrolled with New York Medical College or Touro College of Dental Medicine.

Tenants – an authorized person of any business or other entity that is leasing office space, a room or other property from the College, but who is not employed by the College.

Volunteers – any non-paid person providing a service to either New York Medical College or Touro College of Dental Medicine.

V. Procedure

A. The appropriate Docusign shall be used by an existing NYMC or Touro employee (“Initiating Employee”) to request the issuance of an Access Card for all new Employees, Students, Residents, Volunteers, Tenants, Everyday Contractors, and Limited Access Contractors (“Applicant”).

B. The School of Medicine, Touro Dental, School of Health Sciences and Practice, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences each have their own specific Student Docusign.  new employees, Residents, Volunteers, Tenants, Everyday and Limited Access Contractors share a non-student Docusign.

C. The Initiating Employee must confirm the Applicant’s vaccination status BEFORE completing the appropriate DocuSign submission.

D. After submission, the DocuSign is sent to the Department of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) for confirmation of the Applicant’s successful completion of Safety Training or excusal from training.  After being confirmed, EHS approves the Applicant.

E. The DocuSign submission is then sent to the Applicant for photo upload and any parking requests.

F. The DocuSign submission is then sent to Public Safety to print and issue the Access or Identification Card.

  1. Human Resources will initiate the Access Card process for new Employees during the on-boarding process.
  2. The appropriate Dean’s Office or their designee will initiate the process for Students, during their registration. 
  3. An NYMC Administrator or their designee will initiate the process for Residents, Volunteers, Tenants, and all contractors.

Initiating Employee by access requested:

Comparative Medicine access

Comparative Medicine Administrator

Employee access

Human Resources

Resident access

NYMC Administrator

Student access

Dean’s office

Volunteers access

NYMC Administrator

Tenants access

NYMC Administrator

Limited Access Contractors access

NYMC Administrator

Everyday Contractors access

NYMC Administrator

G. Safety Training is only required if the person is requesting access to a building containing a lab i.e., the Basic Science Building, Medical Education Center, 7 Dana Road, Vosburgh Pavilion or School of Health Sciences and Practice.  EHS will confirm when training is required and non-student Applicants will be directed to applicable training by their Designated NYMC Administrator.

H. Safety Training of an on-site supervisor for Limited Access Contractors will satisfy the Safety Training requirement for his/her staff. His/her staff will be under his/her supervision and their staff members will not be required to have EHS Safety Training.  If not Safety Trained, Limited Access Contractors may be issued an Identification Card.

I. Limited Access Contractors have a daily contact requirement as follows: 

  1. Limited Access Contractors are required to make Daily Contact with Public Safety.
  2. If the same Limited Access Contractors will be on site for multiple days, a list with a range of dates will satisfy this requirement. 
  3. Limited Access Contractors must return all issued Identification and Access Cards when their contract is completed, and they are no longer authorized to be on campus.

J. The Office of Public Safety may waive any requirements as necessary.

VI. Effective Date

This policy is effective immediately.

VII. Policy Management

Responsible Executive Stakeholder: Director of Public Safety
Responsible Oversight Office: Office of Public Safety