NEWS

CSU dial-up discontinued

BY MICHAEL DOLAN
COM 225 REPORTER

Cleveland State University will no longer provide students with dial-up Internet access as of July 1.

The service, with its outdated equipment and minimal usage, is seen as no longer being financially viable.

Dominique Porter, enterprise network mangager of the Information Services and Technology Department said, “The dial-up service at one time had between a 70 to 80 percent usage by the total student population, but this has now fallen to under 5 percent.”

Yet to some students, dial-up access is not a convenience, but a lifeline to CSU databases.

The Michael Schwartz Library, Law Library, Campus Webmail, Blackboard, parking updates and emergency notices will now be available only to students with alternative access.

“I’ve been using dial-up for three semesters,” says disabled student Sally Horrigan, 19. “For CSU to shut down the computers two weeks before finals...what am I going to use now?”

Jeff Dell, an assistant technology specialist for the Office of Disability Services said, “The amount of usage over the past few years shows that dial-up is not worth the cost of running so many modems.”

“It’s a shame about those students who are affected by this,” said Gerald Gillinov, disability counseling specialist, “but possible solutions for students may be found at local libraries or community hotlines.”

Disabled students should also check with Campus 411 and the Counseling Center for additional suggestions, Gillinov said.
Barbara Brandau, a TRIO academic advisor said, “If the dial-up service is that out-of-date and unproductive, then it had to be done.”

“There’s been free dial-up service in one form or another since I’ve worked here, and I’ve used it myself until recently,” says service technician Cathy Shepard, an IS&T employee for over 20 years.

“Like many other technologies, this one was doomed to be phased out,” added Porter.