Beginning in the fall, AU will no longer provide traditional local telephone service for its students. Students will still be able to make land line calls to other dorm residents but they will not be able to make local calls through those lines, according to the Housing and Dining Programs Web site.
Fliers were sent out to students this week announcing the changes in residence hall phone service, which will begin in fall 2005.
"[Land lines are] becoming futile I guess, since everyone uses their cell phones," said Sara Farizan, a sophomore in the School of Communication. "It doesn't bode too well for the university. They assume that everyone does have a cell phone. But I suppose that if it is coming at a great financial cost, then they have every right to not do the land lines."
Housing and Dining representatives were unavailable for comment, but according to their Web site, "the revenue formerly received by the university to support long-distance calling has declined sharply. Eliminating the traditional residence hall telephone service will help the university control increases in its operating costs without inconveniencing the vast majority of students."
See www.american.edu/ocl/housing for more information.
