Those on campus now have to dial an extra number to be connected to an on campus extension. Members of the campus community now have to dial the number five in addition to the four established digits.
The new phone system was adopted due to the changing technology experienced by those on campus over the past few years. According to Dwight Fischer, the Chief Information Officer and Director of ITS’s Blog, “Maintaining communication with students is critical to Plymouth State…maintaining phone numbers has become problematic with the increased use of cell phones.”
Often times, professors and others need to get a hold of students. Back when landline phones were the only option to get in contact with the student body, communication was easier. With the advent of cell phones, administrators began to notice new issues, namely, the expense and privacy issues some students have with their phones.
“Students may choose not to share their cellular number, calling student cellular numbers may incur long distance charges for the institution, and cellular numbers often change,” Fischer said in his blog.
In the spring of 2008, Fischer spoke to the Student Senate about the expected changes with ITS and phone lines for the upcoming year, “Dwight Fischer…met with the Student Government last spring and discussed this direction with them amongst several other issues. It was acknowledged that students were paying for phone lines in the dorms that were not being used and this was a good direction in which to go,” said Amy Berg, Director of IT operations.
The new system costs approximately $25,000, which, “Breaks down to less than $6 per undergraduate student,” Berg said.
The phone lines were outfitted on Aug. 15 for the new system. ITS decided to add five to the former system in order to create more extensions, “The university converted to a five digit internal dial plan in order to accommodate the additional numbers required for the undergraduate student telephone numbers,” Berg said.
The implementation of the number five for all on campus calls was just the beginning stages of a larger plan to reorganize the current phone lines on campus. According to Chief Information Officer Dwight Fischer’s blog, there were three phases implemented towards the phone systems to better serve the campus.
In July, all landline phones were taken out of on campus residences. With the new semester, students were given the option to pay extra for a landline phone. While the option is available, not many students have taken advantage of having a landline phone.
“Nine students have paid for a land line in their residence hall room,” Berg said. When the individual phone lines were taken out of residences, emergency phones were placed in the hallways of the residence halls. These phones are red and are located in high traffic areas, such as near elevators.
The first phase was finished by July 31. The second phase was more simple, it included the “Transition from four digit extension to five digits,” Fischer wrote in his blog. This was completed on August 15.
The final stage was completed on Aug. 29. This was the implementation of the Student Unified Messaging program. This massive program streamlines the way PSU students can be reached.
According to Fischer’s blog, “Unified messaging is a tool that will improve communications to students. Each student will be assigned a PSU telephone number that will stay with him or her for his or her time as matriculated undergraduate students. This virtual number will ring directly into a voice mailbox where a caller will leave a voice message.”
When a student receives a voicemail message through the system, he or she will receive an email with an attached wav file.
“The student can listen to the message through his or her computer or headphones,” Fischer stated in his blog.
Students’ phone numbers will be printed and will be available to be attained by those with access to both the printed directories and online directories.
Via email is not the only way for students to receive these voicemail messages, “Students will be able to list a secondary email address…this secondary email address could be a cellular text messaging address which would give them an immediate text message that a new voice mail is waiting in their email,” Fischer stated in his blog.
One unique feature Unified Student Messaging is the fact that students can add his or her number to the national do not call list, “Students can register their PSU telephone number on the National No Call List to block telemarketing calls,” Berg said.
The phone lines have been running since the end of Aug. Students interested in learning more about the changes in telecommunication lines are encouraged to log into Plymouth.edu/telecom. Those interested in adding his or her number to the do not call list are encouraged to contact the government registry at Donotcall.gov/Regis.