The Academic and Student Affairs division of Texas A&M University- Commerce plans to disconnect telephone lines in all on-campus housing facilities.
According to Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Mary Hendrix, the decision comes after a few years of discussion within the division.
“This was actually started about three years ago when students got involved and decided that the additional charge tacked onto their fees was a waste of money,” Hendrix said.
Hayley Jobe, assistant director for residence life explained that 1,766 telephone lines are to be disconnected.
“The phone lines are not disconnected yet because technology services are still installing our emergency phones,” Jobe said.
According to Jobe, although there will be an emergency telephone located in each facility, the number of phones will vary because of design of each building and also,the amount of students that the building accommodates.
Telephone lines will stay connected for resident assistants in each facility.
In addition, students who have lived in the Family Housing units since or prior to the Summer II term have been offered the opportunity to keep their telephone lines for a fee.
“We told them that we weren’t going to pay for it, but if they wanted to keep it, they had to let us know by a certain date and they could then pay us for the semester and that way, we wouldn’t have to make them pay an installation charge,”
Deborrah Hebert, assistant vice president and dean of student affairs said.
According to Hebert, the decision was driven largely by the fact that generally, the telephone lines were not being used.
“What we were finding is that we would call students in their rooms and we would get no answer, not even an answering machine,” Hebert said “A lot of people weren’t even bringing phones for their room because they were already using their cell phones.”
Although emergency phones will be made available in each building, Lieutenant Jason Bone, of the University Police Department, said that 911 service in the department’s primary concern.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned” Bone said. “It could theoretically make it more difficult if a student needs help.”
According to Elementary Education major, Stephanie Hawkins, the people who will be affected the most by the disconnection of the telephone lines are those who have little to no money.
“How are you supposed to contact your family if you don’t have a cell phone?” Hawkins said.
Hebert advises students who don’t already have a cell phone to purchase a pay-as-you go phone at Wal-Mart.
“We’re encouraging everybody to either use their cell phones or get a pay-as-you go phone,” Hubert said. “They really are inexpensive.”