After seeing a decline in the number of phone calls made from residence halls, there will not be phone jacks in any of the rooms in the East Residence Hall, which will be open for occupancy in the fall.
“After looking at the university’s calling records, we decided that the landlines cost too much to install when compared to how much they are used,” said Alan Jacob, associate director of housing.
Kathy Nelson, telecommunications manager, said records were analyzed from the past two years in terms of the volume of phone calls coming from residence hall phones.
She said it is expensive to deliver a dial tone to every room.
There will still be landlines in the lounges, study rooms and game room.
“Cell phones and [Voice Over Internet Protocol] have quickly replaced students’ dependence on landlines,” Jacob said.
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is a name for communication services that use the Internet such as Skype.
“I can’t remember the last time I received a call from a student’s room as opposed to he or she calling me on their cell phone,” Jacob said.
Freshman Maery Simmons said she uses both her landline and cell phone.
“Having the landline is more reliable, especially in the case of emergencies,” Simmons said.
Contact Ira McIntosh at ira.mcintosh@whitworthian.com.
New dorm rooms to be landline free
Published: Monday, March 9, 2009
Updated: Monday, March 9, 2009 23:03
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