By KRISTIN HODGES

kdh027@latech.edu

 

Calling professors will be easier by the end of spring quarter, when all faculty members will have individual telephone lines and voice mail.

Tech President Dan Reneau said, “It was brought to my attention that we had faculty sharing telephone systems and we also probably need to upgrade to voice mail services as well.”

Sam Wallace, director of support services, said faculty who are currently sharing lines will be receiving individual phone lines.

“Once we have done [the individual lines] we will be adding voice mail as time and money allow,” Wallace said.

Wallace said hopefully the project will be done by the end of the spring quarter.

He said there may be some problems with cables that slow down efforts.

Wallace also said a majority of the lines added are going into George T. Madison Hall.

“That is where the BellSouth equipment comes into the campus, so it will not be a problem,” Wallace said.

Wallace said the offices of the deans of all colleges are currently collecting data about which faculty share phone lines. Wallace also said the deans will decide who will keep the current phone number and who will receive a new line.

Joe Thomas, vice president of financial services, said making the conversion and securing equipment will cost about $60,000. Thomas said the annual recurring costs are estimated at $50,000 with voice mail costs. 

“The voice mail runs about $4.50 per month, per line,” Thomas said.

He said the project is valuable.

“I think it will be very beneficial for the faculty, and we are going to try to accomplish this as quickly as possible,” Thomas said.

Reneau said the faculty and student relationship is good now but will be boosted by the direct telephone lines.

“I think we will enhance [the relationship] because when you have a private telephone, your calls can go through right away, and you won’t have to take messages and call back,” Reneau said. “I can see an immediate benefit there.”

Jessica Tham, a freshman mechanical engineering major, said the best part about the changes is messages will be getting to the correct professors and not be lost in the shuffle between professors.

Wallace said the key point of the individual phone lines is accessibility to faculty.

Wallace said, If the university can make faculty more available to students, “then we have made a good move.”