2008 Woodie Awards
No access in dorms
Internet connectivity lacking for students
by Cassie Scarborough
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: News
"I don't think it's fair to have to pay $24,000 a year and not have Internet access in your dorm room," says Piedmont sophomore Logan Green.
Green, along with many other students who live in the dorms on Piedmont's Demorest campus, has been without Internet on several occasions so far this semester.
While many of the dorms have lost Internet access, others have been in situations where one room will have access while another will not. Residents of Mayflower, Purcell and Wallace dorms have experienced this.
Green says that her suite mate in Wallace almost always has the Internet while she doesn't.
"It really isn't fair and is a major inconvenience when you have an assignment that requires the Internet due the next day," Green says.
Dr. Shahryar Heydari, head of the IT Department at Piedmont, says that in many cases the department is able to maintain the connectivity of a specific dorm but not individual rooms. He also says that it's the students' responsibility to inform either the IT department or their resident assistant, who can relay the message about the problem so that it can be fixed.
In many cases, Heydari says, it can be the user's computer itself that may be causing the problem or hardwire and wiring issues.
No matter what the issue may be, Heydari says that once the IT department is informed of the problem it sends someone out to look at the computer in the room to find a solution. The only delay falls when a student is not in his or her room because the IT worker will not go into a room without the resident being present.
Dr. Tom Bowen, vice president of administration and finance, says that he was unaware that there was a problem and will look into it.
The IT department has recently begun to upgrade in the dorms by uploading and increasing speed. Heydari says that they are now beginning to increase bandwidth.
Many students have raised the question of having wireless Internet in the dorms and around campus.
Piedmont senior Daniela Guevara said that Piedmont had wireless Internet part of her freshman year and in the years preceding it but has more issues due to the type of walls in the dorm not allowing computers to connect in certain rooms.
Green, along with many other students who live in the dorms on Piedmont's Demorest campus, has been without Internet on several occasions so far this semester.
While many of the dorms have lost Internet access, others have been in situations where one room will have access while another will not. Residents of Mayflower, Purcell and Wallace dorms have experienced this.
Green says that her suite mate in Wallace almost always has the Internet while she doesn't.
"It really isn't fair and is a major inconvenience when you have an assignment that requires the Internet due the next day," Green says.
Dr. Shahryar Heydari, head of the IT Department at Piedmont, says that in many cases the department is able to maintain the connectivity of a specific dorm but not individual rooms. He also says that it's the students' responsibility to inform either the IT department or their resident assistant, who can relay the message about the problem so that it can be fixed.
In many cases, Heydari says, it can be the user's computer itself that may be causing the problem or hardwire and wiring issues.
No matter what the issue may be, Heydari says that once the IT department is informed of the problem it sends someone out to look at the computer in the room to find a solution. The only delay falls when a student is not in his or her room because the IT worker will not go into a room without the resident being present.
Dr. Tom Bowen, vice president of administration and finance, says that he was unaware that there was a problem and will look into it.
The IT department has recently begun to upgrade in the dorms by uploading and increasing speed. Heydari says that they are now beginning to increase bandwidth.
Many students have raised the question of having wireless Internet in the dorms and around campus.
Piedmont senior Daniela Guevara said that Piedmont had wireless Internet part of her freshman year and in the years preceding it but has more issues due to the type of walls in the dorm not allowing computers to connect in certain rooms.
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