By Isabella Bratton
Scanning into Chapel via student IDs returns in the Fall 2023 semester after just a year of QR codes.
Dean of the Chapel Michael Jordan says that since students are more likely to have their phones rather than their student IDs, the intention—of the original switch—was that QR codes would be more convenient. It also seemed like a natural step due to the advancement in the use of technology at Houghton.
“Campus Groups is still in development,” Senior Cody Johnson (‘24), President of the Student Body, wrote, “and the chapel team–Dean Jordan and the students who run tech–frequently encountered problems with the QR code.”
There are ongoing problems with the wifi in the chapel, Johnson continues. Historically, the building hasn’t had wifi to discourage students from working during Chapel, but it needs wifi for the QR code system.
“Chapel skipping was a fairly minor consideration,” Jordan says. “We thought about it some, but it was not a major motivating part of the decision [to take away QR codes].”
Jordan explains that although he wishes Chapel skipping didn’t happen, it’s not exactly preventable.
“Chapel skipping doesn’t really make me angry on a personal level,” Jordan states, “though of course I wish it didn’t happen. It’s always been part of places like Houghton with a mandatory chapel, and I don’t like trying to play a game of cat and mouse where we try to ‘catch’ people, so we try not to be overly punitive.”
Other than the technological reasons, the substantial amount of extra work that resulted in the implementation of QR codes was another reason to get rid of it. Because students were running into so many issues trying to scan in, it created more work than before, trying to fix them and for those who had to respond to emails from students about the malfunctions. ★
