Tired with wires
St. Michael’s students call for expanded wireless network on campus

Justin Miller | saff writer
Jmiller2@smcvt.edu

Wireless network access on the St. Michael’s College campus is limited to some academic buildings, Alliot Student Center, and the Durick Library.  St. Michael’s students are asking for an expansion of the wireless network into student residences and outdoor areas.

Unhappy students

Sophomore Christian Jevne lives in Pontigny Hall and thinks a wireless network would be helpful academically.

 “People do the majority of their work in their dorm rooms,”   Jevne says.  “It takes forever to load news Web sites, like CNN, even with the ethernet cable.”

Jevne lived on campus this summer and says most people enjoyed working outside on nice days, but were limited by not having an Internet connection.

Two students utilize one of the few wireless zones on campus. The residential areas of campus are unlikely to see wireless networks in the future. Larry Frisoli, photo

 “It would be awesome if we had wireless in the middle of campus,”  Jevne says. “I can’t even get a signal three feet outside of the library.”

Mike Blank, Information Technology (IT) Help Desk Manger, has heard complaints about the wireless networks limited accessibility before.  He says wireless began two years ago and the current set-up was finalized for the start of the fall semester in 2006.  He admits that while the wireless network is limited, it does encompass all main campus academic buildings.

“The only place really left to put wireless is in the dorms and townhouses,” Blank says.   “The four dorm buildings on the quad are built like prison cells.  A wireless signal couldn’t make it through the walls.”

As for having the wireless network expanded to anywhere outside, that process would most likely be “cost-prohibitive,” Blank says.

Unlike the buildings in the quad that are built with dense material, such as brick and concrete, the townhouses offer a more plausible place to expand the wireless network, Blank says.

However, Blank insists that the cost of an expansion to this degree would not be worth the expenditure.

“You’re looking at a pretty healthy cost,” Blank says.

Blank says the range of the wireless network is not limited by the presence of Fort Ethan Allen or Burlington International Airport.

“The range of the wireless network is controlled by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission),” Blank says.  “I believe the limit for one route is about 75 feet.”

Off-campus wireless connections

University of Vermont sophomore, Alison Krywanczyk, classifies her school’s wireless network as “good.”

“All the study lounges in the dorms have very good wireless,” Krywanczyk says.  “I use it pretty often, at least once a day.”

Krywanczyk also adds that the wireless connection is just as strong as any wired connection on campus.

“We have ethernet cables in the dorms and in most study lounges,” Krywaczyk says.  “In any of the academic buildings or in the rooms with good signals, the connection is just as fast as any one with a chord.”

A student rocks an unplugged laptop as he works in the Durick Library. Larry Frisoli, photo

Champlain College seems to have a similar set-up to that of St. Michael’s.  According to the college site, wireless is available in all classrooms, but is not very accessible in dorm buildings.

An ongoing problem

Senior Jessica Pothier of the 200 townhouses says having Internet access is vital to her work and would be easier to accomplish in places other than just her bedroom.

“It would be easier if I didn’t have to connect a cable to my computer all the time,” Pothier says.  “It would be easier to bring my laptop around without wires.”

“The tour guides told me that they were working on expanding the wireless network when I visited here,” Jevne says.  “I guess there is not much we can do about it other than complain and protest.”