They ring, annoy and embarrass at the most inopportune times. But even on the remote Dartmouth campus, cell phones are rapidly becoming more prevalent.
A recent trend nationwide has shown that students are now more frequently using their cellular companions as their primary telephone, leaving campus telephone services searching for new ways to draw in student customers.
At Dartmouth these trends are present but slightly mitigated, in part due to the lack of solid cell phone reception around campus. However, according to Director of Telecommunications and Network Services Robert Johnson, there has been a 30-percent decrease in freshman subscriptions to DarTalk, the campus' long distance service.
"It could be in part due to a need for better marketing," Johnson said, in explaining the drop-off. "But it is obvious that kids simply like cell phones."
Sagine Gousse '05 is one of many who chose to use her cell phone for her long distance calls.
"I have a free long-distance calling plan, so I use [the cell phone] for everything. DarTalk is just too complicated and much more expensive," Gousse said.
Despite the decrease in subscriptions in this year's freshman class, total minutes of long-distance calling around the school are up from last year at this time. According to statistics compiled by Dartmouth Telephone Services, there has been a 20- to 25-percent increase in long distance calling minutes this year.
"I don't make enough calls for a cell phone to make sense," said Marilyn Nyanteh '05, who approximates her long distance calling at 10 to 20 calls per month, and her DarTalk bill at approximately $30 per month.
The current DarTalk plan is billed to enrolled students on a declining balance account at a rate of 8 cents per minute. Students who do not subscribe to DarTalk are unable to make long distance calls from their room. All students receive free local and campus calling, however, as part of the $12 telephone service fee included in all dorm room rents.
According to Johnson, Telephone Services has noticed the trend toward student cell-phone use, and the office has plans for the near future to accommodate students interests.
"If cell phones are what students want, then it's our job to bring that to the students," Johnson said.
Plans are already taking shape for the installation of a cell phone tower on or very nearby to campus by a national provider. Once the tower was installed students would receive greatly increased cell phone coverage across the campus and its surroundings.
"Right now were looking at Sprint as a serious possibility. [Sprint is] willing to build on campus and bring a lot of new technology to us," Johnson said.
Students seem excited about the possibility of improved cell phone reception on campus, particularly those who use their cell as their primary or only phone.
"Sometimes it is tough to get any reception in my dorm," said Claris Smith '06, an AT&T subscriber who uses her cell as her only phone, "though reception is better outside."
Another proposed change to the DarTalk system is the implementation of a flat-rate calling plan for all students. In its current form, the plan would entail a monthly flat rate paid by students that would provide them with a package of local and long distance calling and voice mail.
"We are hoping to be able to make this plan a standard part of dorm room rent, which would allow it to be covered by financial aid," Johnson said. "We could provide all the services for a flat fee under $20 per month.
But for now, cell phones continue to swarm the campus, with the cellular population on the rise. A spokesman for local cell-phone distributor U.S. Cellular said that approximately 50 percent of the customers they see in the first few months after school starts are Dartmouth students.
The future plans of Dartmouth telephone services are not to put those trends in cell phone purchases on hold, but rather to provide an on-campus complement to whatever forms of communications students choose.
"In the old days, campus phone services were out to see how much money they could make off of students," Johnson said. "Now we just want to provide service to you guys without losing money."
