Unit 4: UK Phone Expense

The University of Kentucky decided at the end of the fiscal year in 2008 to remove all land lines from student rooms within campus residence halls. The removal of landlines was seen as a way to eliminate unnecessary costs. The university saved $840,000 by removing these lines and used the savings to improve cell phone reception.

Chief Housing Officer Mark Doherty said the university plans to leave emergency phones in residence halls. It is unknown if an emergency phone is located on each floor of the residence halls. The emergency phones are closed line to campus security. Students who lived on campus during the transition had the option of securing a landline in his/her room.

The University of Kentucky followed the practice lead by The College of William and Mary. William and Mary's Director of Residence Life, Deb Boykin, said The College was responding to a 2007 study which found 92 percent of students were using cell phones as their primary line of communication. The study's source was not revealed. William and Mary relocated the funds to improve Internet bandwidth and cell phone reception.

Doherty said the decision to remove room phones was a savings for both the school and students. The school saw a savings on manual maintenance fees and phone service. Students saw a reduction in room-and-board expense. The decrease in room and board expense was not disclosed.

Reference:

Ma, J. (2009, February 9). University to remove dorm landlines. Cavalier Daily. Retrieved October 16, 2009, from http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2009/02/09/university-to-remove-dorm-landlines.