NEWS ANALYSIS: Go wifi or go home
By Tim Awojobi
Students, faculty, staff, even parents, have been making complaints regarding the wireless connection once stepping foot on campus.
“The wireless connection needs to be faster,” said Mya Pierre a freshman biology major. “I’m not able to receive connection everywhere on campus.”
Many colleges and universities have what they call, “access points”. Usually, this refers to multiple wireless connections that are installed for personal access in a certain location. At Kean University, there are two major connection access points: “KUAIR-OPEN” and “KUAIRBN.”
Now here’s one of the surrounding problems.
“KUAIR-OPEN” is mainly available to students on the main campus itself. When using this connection, students can only be accepted with proper identification and a valid password . Many students have complained that each and every time they open their browser, they constantly have to put in their username and password multiple times.
“When I’m in my dorm, I get perfect connection, and I don’t have to sign-in all the time,” said Madison Curcuru, a sophomore Special Ed major, “but as soon as I leave the residence halls, I automatically lose my connection. It sucks!”
In the OCIS department, calls and emails are received daily regarding the lack of wireless connection on campus. As a student, it is normal to want an easily accessible connection to do work or even check important emails. Parents, whether they are paying for their child’s tuition or not, expect their children to be able to complete their assignments and use their mobile devices without worrying about the internet shutting down.
“At times, the internet tends to lag, which can interfere with the lessons that the professors are teaching us,” said Psychology Major Towana Daly. “There was one time when I was trying to present a video to the class and in the middle of the presentation, the internet shutdown on me, which affected my presentation.”
With college tuition rates being at an all-time high for many years now, including a technology fee, it is not outlandish for students to expect working connectivity.
The OCIS computer services department declined to comment on the topic. Students who are still having a problem connecting to the wireless connection are encouraged to contact OCIS with their concerns.