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Door access malfunctioning for some campus buildings

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University of Washington published a UW Alert Blog update on or about 2020-03-03. Full text is preserved from the official emergency blog.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Washington
Public R1 · WA
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~50,000 studentsUW Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how UW says it will use UW Alert: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

INITIAL ALERTMulti-channel
Verified verbatim2103 chars
UPDATE at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4: Access to campus buildings is restored. Employee Husky cards should allow access to buildings as normal. UPDATE at 9:06 p.m.: Husky card access to some campus buildings may be delayed through Wednesday, but buildings should unlock at normal times Wednesday morning. This post will be updated when all building access is restored. UPDATE at 4:45 p.m.: Door access is still not working for employees in some campus buildings, and Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening. Repairs are ongoing, and officials expect all buildings will be accessible with Husky cards by early Wednesday morning. If a UW employee has an urgent need to enter their building after hours, contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973. Impacted buildings: Wallace Hall Allen Library Architecture Art Building Bagley Hall William H. Foege Community Design Building Clark Hall Corp Yard buildings Fluke Hall Facilities Admin Building Gould Hall Gates Law Gerberding Hall Guthrie Hall Guggenhiem Hall Haggett Hall Magnuson Health Sciences Husky Union Building (HUB) Johnson Hall Kirsten Wind Tunnel Lewis Hall Mechanical Engineering Building Merril Hall Mary Gates Hall Meany Hall Marine Science Building Odegard Library PACCAR Hall Plant Services Building Blue Flame Building (off campus) Puget Sound Plaza (off campus) Raitt Hall Savery Hall South Campus Center Sand Point Building 25 Piediactric Dentistry Sandpoint Building 5 Suzzullo Library UW Tower Building C UW Tower Building S UW Tower Building T Western Ave (off campus) UPDATE at 4:09 p.m.: Work on the Husky card malfunction is ongoing and there is no estimated time yet for repairs to the system. This post will be updated with more information. ORIGINAL Post at 12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3: Some UW employees are not able to access some campus buildings due to a Husky card malfunction. Student cards do not appear to be impacted. UW Information Technology is aware of the problem and is working on a fix. Updates will be provided here as available.
Verify this quote
UW Alert Blogemergency.uw.edufind archived copies
Transcribed from official emergency.uw.edu Alert Blog entry body.
Confirmed-verbatim recovery from live institutional source.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude Opus 5 (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

UPDATE at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4: Access to campus buildings is restored. Employee Husky cards should allow access to buildings as normal. UPDATE at 9:06 p.m.: Husky card access to some campus buildings may be delayed through Wednesday, but buildings should unlock at normal times Wednesday morning. This post will be updated when all building access is restored. UPDATE at 4:45 p.m.: Door access is still not working for employees in some campus buildings, and Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening. Repairs are ongoing, and officials expect all buildings will be accessible with Husky cards by early Wednesday morning. If a UW employee has an urgent need to enter their building after hours, contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973. Impacted buildings: Wallace Hall Allen Library Architecture Art Building Bagley Hall William H. Foege Community Design Building Clark Hall Corp Yard buildings Fluke Hall Facilities Admin Building Gould Hall Gates Law Gerberding Hall Guthrie Hall Guggenhiem Hall Haggett Hall Magnuson Health Sciences Husky Union Building (HUB) Johnson Hall Kirsten Wind Tunnel Lewis Hall Mechanical Engineering Building Merril Hall Mary Gates Hall Meany Hall Marine Science Building Odegard Library PACCAR Hall Plant Services Building Blue Flame Building (off campus) Puget Sound Plaza (off campus) Raitt Hall Savery Hall South Campus Center Sand Point Building 25 Piediactric Dentistry Sandpoint Building 5 Suzzullo Library UW Tower Building C UW Tower Building S UW Tower Building T Western Ave (off campus) UPDATE at 4:09 p.m.: Work on the Husky card malfunction is ongoing and there is no estimated time yet for repairs to the system. This post will be updated with more information. ORIGINAL Post at 12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3: Some UW employees are not able to access some campus buildings due to a Husky card malfunction. Student cards do not appear to be impacted. UW Information Technology is aware of the problem and is working on a fix. Updates will be provided here as available.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present at 25 of 25: the post names "UW Information Technology" as aware of the problem and gives "UWPD non-emergency line at 206-685-8973", identifying the institutional voices behind it.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify the institutional senders.
    2. present: UWPD, UW Information Technology and campus officials are named.
    3. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify institutional senders.
    4. present: UWPD and "UW Information Technology" are both named as involved UW authorities.
    5. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify institutional senders.
    6. present: "UW Information Technology is aware" and the UWPD non-emergency line identify institutional senders.
    7. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify institutional senders and contacts.
    8. present: UW Information Technology and UWPD are named as handling the problem and taking after-hours calls.
    9. present: Names "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD" as the responding organizations.
    10. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify the institutional senders and contact.
    11. present: "UW Information Technology is aware of the problem" and UWPD are named as the responsible parties.
    12. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify the institutional senders.
    13. present: "UW Information Technology is aware" and the UWPD non-emergency line identify institutional sources.
    14. present: "UW Information Technology" and UWPD's non-emergency line identify institutional senders.
    15. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify institutional sources.
    16. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify UW offices behind the notice.
    17. present: UW Information Technology and UWPD are both named as the responsible offices.
    18. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify the institutional sources.
    19. present: UWPD, UW Information Technology and UW officials are named as handling the problem.
    20. present: It names UW Information Technology and gives "UWPD's non-emergency line" as institutional senders.
    21. present: UW Information Technology and UWPD are both identified as handling the problem.
    22. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify the institutional sources.
    23. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify the institutional senders.
    24. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify the institutional sources.
    25. present: "UW Information Technology" and "UWPD's non-emergency line" identify institutional senders.
  • Hazardpresent21/25

    Final assessment

    Present at 21 of 25: employees cannot enter buildings "due to a Husky card malfunction", a specifically named failure. Four reads dissented that a card system fault is not a safety threat.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: The specific problem is named: "a Husky card malfunction" disabling door access.
    2. absent: A Husky card door access malfunction is a service failure, not a named hazard threat.
    3. present: The specific problem named is a "Husky card malfunction" blocking door access.
    4. present: The specific problem is named, a "Husky card malfunction" leaving building doors locked.
    5. present: The specific problem is named: "a Husky card malfunction" disabling door access.
    6. present: The specific problem is named: a "Husky card malfunction" blocking door access.
    7. present: It names a specific failure, a "Husky card malfunction" leaving employees unable to access buildings.
    8. present: The specific problem is named: a "Husky card malfunction" blocking door access to buildings.
    9. present: Identifies a specific problem, a "Husky card malfunction" blocking building door access.
    10. absent: A "Husky card malfunction" is a service failure, not one of the threats the rubric counts as a hazard.
    11. absent: A "Husky card malfunction" blocking door access is a service failure, not a named threat.
    12. present: It names a specific problem, "a Husky card malfunction" blocking door access, not a vague incident.
    13. present: The problem is specifically named as a "Husky card malfunction" blocking door access.
    14. present: The specific problem is named: "a Husky card malfunction" leaving door access not working.
    15. present: The specific problem is named: "a Husky card malfunction" leaving doors inaccessible.
    16. present: The specific problem is named as a "Husky card malfunction" blocking door access to buildings.
    17. present: The specific problem is named, "a Husky card malfunction" blocking door access.
    18. present: The problem is named specifically as a "Husky card malfunction" blocking door access.
    19. present: The specific problem is stated: a "Husky card malfunction" blocking door access.
    20. absent: A Husky card door-access malfunction is a system failure, not a named hazard or threat.
    21. present: A Husky card door access malfunction locking employees out is the specific named problem.
    22. present: The specific problem is named: "a Husky card malfunction" blocking building access.
    23. present: The specific problem named is a "Husky card malfunction" blocking door access to buildings.
    24. present: The specific problem is named: "a Husky card malfunction" blocking door access to buildings.
    25. present: The specific problem is named as a "Husky card malfunction" blocking door access.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present at 25 of 25: the notice publishes an explicit roster of impacted buildings, from "Wallace Hall" and "Bagley Hall" to the "Husky Union Building (HUB)" and "Odegard Library".

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: A long list of buildings is given, from "Wallace Hall" to "Savery Hall".
    2. present: Dozens of buildings are listed, including Wallace Hall, Bagley Hall and the HUB.
    3. present: A long list of affected buildings is given, including "Wallace Hall" and "Gerberding Hall".
    4. present: It lists dozens of affected buildings, including Savery Hall, Gould Hall, and the HUB.
    5. present: A long list of affected buildings appears, including Wallace Hall and Gerberding Hall.
    6. present: It lists affected buildings including Wallace Hall, Bagley Hall and the HUB.
    7. present: A long list of affected buildings including "Wallace Hall" and "Savery Hall" pinpoints locations.
    8. present: A long list of specific buildings is given, from Wallace Hall to Odegard Library.
    9. present: Lists dozens of affected buildings including Wallace Hall, Bagley Hall and the HUB.
    10. present: It lists dozens of affected buildings by name, from Wallace Hall to Odegaard Library.
    11. present: Dozens of buildings are listed by name, including Gerberding Hall and Odegaard Library.
    12. present: A long list of named buildings, from "Wallace Hall" to "Gerberding Hall", gives location.
    13. present: A long list of places is given, from "Wallace Hall" and "Bagley Hall" to the HUB.
    14. present: A long list of affected buildings is given, from Wallace Hall to Odegaard Library.
    15. present: A long list of affected buildings appears, from "Wallace Hall" to "Mary Gates Hall".
    16. present: It lists dozens of affected buildings by name, including Gerberding Hall, Bagley Hall and the HUB.
    17. present: A long roster of buildings is given, from "Wallace Hall" to "Gerberding Hall".
    18. present: It lists affected buildings including Wallace Hall, Bagley Hall and the HUB.
    19. present: A long list of affected buildings, from Wallace Hall to Odegard Library, is given.
    20. present: It lists affected buildings by name, from "Wallace Hall" to "Gerberding Hall".
    21. present: A long list of affected buildings, including Bagley, Gould and Savery Hall, is given.
    22. present: It lists affected buildings including Wallace Hall, Bagley Hall and the HUB.
    23. present: A long list of affected buildings is given, including Wallace Hall, Bagley Hall and the HUB.
    24. present: A long explicit list of buildings is given, from Wallace Hall to Odegaard Library.
    25. present: A long list of affected buildings appears, including "Bagley Hall", "Gould Hall" and the HUB.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present at 25 of 25: readers are given a concrete action, that an employee with "an urgent need to enter their building after hours" should contact UWPD at 206-685-8973.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Employees with urgent after-hours need are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    2. present: It tells employees with urgent after hours needs to contact UWPD at 206-685-8973.
    3. present: It tells employees with an urgent need to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    4. present: Employees with urgent after hours access needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    5. present: Employees with an urgent need are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    6. present: It tells employees with urgent after-hours needs to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    7. present: Readers with urgent after-hours access needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    8. present: Employees with urgent entry needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    9. present: Tells employees with urgent after hours need to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    10. present: Employees with an urgent need to enter are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    11. present: Employees with urgent after hours access needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    12. present: Employees with urgent after-hours need are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    13. present: Employees with an urgent after hours need are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    14. present: It tells employees with urgent need to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    15. present: Employees with urgent after hours needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    16. present: Employees with urgent after hours access needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    17. present: Employees with urgent after-hours need are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    18. present: Employees with urgent after-hours needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    19. present: Employees with urgent after-hours needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line".
    20. present: Employees with urgent after-hours entry needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973."
    21. present: Employees with urgent after hours access needs are told to call UWPD at 206-685-8973.
    22. present: Employees with urgent after-hours need are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    23. present: Employees with urgent after hours needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    24. present: Employees with an urgent need are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
    25. present: Employees with urgent after-hours needs are told to "contact UWPD's non-emergency line at 206-685-8973".
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present at 25 of 25: each segment is stamped, running from "ORIGINAL Post at 12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3" to "UPDATE at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It is heavily time stamped, e.g. "UPDATE at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".
    2. present: It carries several stamps such as 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4 and 12:28 p.m. Tuesday.
    3. present: Times run from "12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3" through "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".
    4. present: Multiple timestamps appear, from "12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3" to "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".
    5. present: Timestamps run from "12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3" to "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".
    6. present: Times are precise, from "ORIGINAL Post at 12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3" to the 7:15 a.m. restoration.
    7. present: Timestamps such as "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4" and "12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3" appear throughout.
    8. present: Updates carry times such as "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4" and "ORIGINAL Post at 12:28 p.m. Tuesday".
    9. present: Timestamps run from "12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3" to "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".
    10. present: Every segment is stamped, including "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4" and "12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3".
    11. present: Multiple stamps appear, such as "UPDATE at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".
    12. present: Multiple stamps appear, including "UPDATE at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".
    13. present: Multiple stamps appear, including "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4" and "12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3".
    14. present: Several stamps appear, including "UPDATE at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4" and the 12:28 p.m. original.
    15. present: Stamps such as "UPDATE at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4" and "12:28 p.m. Tuesday" are given.
    16. present: Several timestamps appear, including "ORIGINAL Post at 12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3".
    17. present: Several stamps appear, including "UPDATE at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".
    18. present: Stamps like "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4" and "12:28 p.m. Tuesday" are given.
    19. present: Several stamps appear, including "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4" and "12:28 p.m. Tuesday".
    20. present: Multiple stamps appear, including "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4" and the original post at 12:28 p.m.
    21. present: Times such as 12:28 p.m. Tuesday and 7:15 a.m. Wednesday mark the sequence.
    22. present: Timestamps run from "12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3" to "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".
    23. present: Several stamps appear, such as "UPDATE at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4" and the original post "at 12:28 p.m."
    24. present: Timestamps run from "ORIGINAL Post at 12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3" to the 7:15 a.m. Wednesday restoration.
    25. present: Multiple stamps appear, from "ORIGINAL Post at 12:28 p.m. Tuesday, March 3" to "7:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 4".
  • Impactpresent21/25

    Final assessment

    Present at 21 of 25: the consequence is stated outright, that "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening". Four reads called that mere inconvenience rather than harm.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It states the effect plainly: cards "will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", locking people out.
    2. present: It states cards will not open doors after they auto lock, a concrete stated consequence.
    3. present: It warns "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", stating the practical consequence.
    4. absent: Only inconvenience is described; no danger, injury risk, or severity is stated.
    5. present: It spells out the consequence: cards "will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening".
    6. present: It states the practical consequence: "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening".
    7. present: It spells out the effect: cards "will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", locking people out.
    8. present: It spells out the effect: "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", locking people out.
    9. present: Warns that "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", a concrete consequence.
    10. present: It states the practical consequence that "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening".
    11. absent: It describes an inconvenience, not any danger or damage to people or property.
    12. present: The stated consequence is that "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", locking staff out.
    13. present: It warns "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", stating the practical consequence.
    14. present: It spells out the consequence: "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", locking employees out.
    15. present: It warns "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", a concrete consequence.
    16. present: It warns that "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", stating the concrete consequence.
    17. present: The consequence is stated: cards "will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", locking staff out.
    18. present: It warns cards "will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", stating the practical consequence.
    19. present: It spells out the effect: cards "will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening".
    20. absent: It says access may be delayed but never states any danger or serious consequence.
    21. present: It warns cards will not open doors after they auto-lock, stating the concrete consequence.
    22. absent: It describes inconvenience and repair status but states no danger or severity of harm.
    23. present: It warns that "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", stating the practical consequence.
    24. present: It spells out the effect: "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", locking people out.
    25. present: It warns "Husky cards will not open doors after they auto-lock this evening", a concrete lockout consequence.

Coded by Claude Opus 5

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

University of Washington UW Alert Blog multi-update emergency archive.
Analysis

Key Findings

Official Alert Blog page preserves complete multi-update alert text.
Outcome
See official update page for status.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. Official
    Door access malfunctioning for some campus buildings
    emergency.uw.edu
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "University of Washington: Door access malfunctioning for some campus buildings." Incident of March 3, 2020. Added July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/university-of-washington-door-access-malfunctioning-for-some-campus-buildin-2020-03-03/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

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Added July 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion