Monthly phone service fees will be incorporated into the overall cost of room and board starting in the Fall term, but all students living on campus will be required to pay for service under the new system.
The Board of Trustees at its meeting made the decision, which enables financial aid to cover the service fees, at its meeting last weekend.
"I think it's a good decision. It takes the onus off of the students for the monthly fees," Director of Business Operations Marcia Colligan said.
Since phone service will now be part of the room rental package, all students will be required to subscribe to DarTalk if they live on campus.
Every resident student will pay for the service through their room and board cost but those in doubles and triples will still have to share the phone line for the room. Residents of the same room will no longer be able to share a single account and its fees.
"I think a lot of people currently share an account," Colligan said, "but that's all going to go away."
Associate Director of Administrative Services Bill Barr likened the mandatory fees to current Internet access. "Phone service will become part of the room package just like data lines are now."
DarTalk is looking into expanding service in the future and hopes to switch from having one phone line per room to a phone line for every bed within the next few years. Immediate considerations for improvements in service, however, are minimal.
"We are trying to decide if it should be the same suite of services or slightly more," Barr said. "I don't see free voice mail or anything like that as an option this year."
Colligan said she could not give the precise amount of the new fee since it will be incorporated in with all other room and board costs, but believes the fee will be slightly less than the current 15-dollar amount.
"The possibility for a decrease in per-minute rates also exists if long distance usage increases because of the new plan," Barr said.
Students said they have mixed feelings about the new billing plan. Many liked the idea of not having to pay the service fee every month, but were upset at the subscription requirement.
"I think it's a great idea ... it's a pain to pay the fees out of [a declining balance account]," Greg Chittim '01 said, but he added that the lack of options is "a negative. I live in a triple and we currently split the service fee, so then we'd each have to pay for all of it."
Faith Barter '01 said the new plan is "kind of sneaky. It sounds like they're trying to ensure people pay for the service even if they don't use the long distance."
