Morgan Benoit / Contributing Writer
Florida International University is attempting to tackle the current issue of wireless internet complications within the dormitory halls. Internet connection is a concern for most students on the University campus. FIU is taking this problem into consideration to reach a solution by pinpointing the core cause of the poor connection. The cause could possibly result from the large amount of devices and wireless printers being used.
A large sum of students throughout the housing facilities depend upon the internet for course assignments, cellular devices and personal needs. Without a dependable and consistent internet connection, this can pose as a serious problem for the housing department, hindering the residents.
Jose Sirven, president of the Residential Hall Association, discusses the effects of poor connection by explaining, “Some of our students cannot study in their rooms because of the quality of the Wi-Fi connection or lack thereof. Some students are still frustrated with the Wi-Fi.”
Concerned students are instructed to contact the division of IT so that they can aid with the issue at hand.
According to Joe Paulick, director of Housing, “Wi-Fi in on-campus housing is challenging at all universities. On-campus housing Wi-Fi is provided by the Division of IT. Housing had provided resources to the Division of IT to upgrade Wi-Fi in housing.”
Paulick discussed how a survey was conducted in order to discover the weak points, stating “Division of IT added new access points where weak areas where found. Access points were also adjusted in location to provide better coverage.”
Housing is further reinforcing their actions by partnering with the Residence Hall Association, the governing council of the on-campus community. As RHA President, Sirven has a huge responsibility to serve the residents of FIU.
He describes what his role entitles stating, “As RHA President, it is my responsibility to advocate for the 3,200 students who live on campus whose voices can sometimes fall on deaf ears. My amazing team and I work to create a sense of community on campus through programming. We also participate in conferencing.”
In order to continue advocating for the students, he must ensure that their concerns are addressed and resolved to its full extent. The RHA partnership with the housing department titled “New Year New Wi-Fi” allows students to directly contact the RHA to identify problem areas.
The flyer states that residents are to email RHA with information containing your hall and room number to explain the situation. Once this is completed, housing will send out a technician to solve the problem. Certain weak spots on campus are hard to detect through IT, which explains the importance of students reaching out and bring awareness to where and what their technical issue is.
Sirven reports that the new system is being utilized by many students, “It has proven beneficial for the students who have been sending us the emails. We will encourage all of the students who email us to fill out the online IT WiFi Troubleshooting Form.”
Other actions have been taken by housing in the process of resolution.
According to Sirven, “Housing has upgraded all of the hardware in all of the buildings, placing a router in each room. We are working with IT to fix the spots where there is no or bad service.”
“Housing uses the Division of IT to give the students Wi-Fi access. I congratulate Housing Director Paulick and the Division of IT for their continued attention and for advocating on our behalf to address the issue,” he says.
Though this may not be an easy task, the housing department and RHA stress that they are aware of what issues need to be fixed pertaining to Wi-Fi and are currently working to provide every resident with reliable access to the internet.
[image from Flickr]
