Abigail Zaccaria

Columnist

I feel NIU handled the network outage well. The university let students know that they were working to fix the problem and kept them posted throughout the outage. A notification was sent out once the Wi-Fi came back on.

Network outages at NIU do not happen very often but there are a few things that students and professors can do to make it easier for them if it happens again. Teachers could extend the deadline for online assignments if the network is out for a long period of time, preventing students from doing their homework. Teachers should also have a backup plan for any lectures that require the network so that they can still have class if the network goes down.

One way students could better their situation if the network goes down would be to avoid procrastinating on their assignments so that if the network goes down they will not miss any important deadlines. This would make the situation less stressful for students.

Faith Mellenthin

Columnist

I think it would be wise for students to know about other places where Wi-Fi is offered so they can be prepared for future network outages. While complaining about the problem is not going to be proactive, the best way to make the best out of network outages would be to know where else to find Wi-Fi.

For students there are more options. Several restaurants directly surrounding campus have their own Wi-Fi, such as Starbucks, 1015 W. Lincoln Highway, or McDonald’s, 545 E. Lincoln Highway. Similarly, those that live on off-campus housing may have their own Wi-Fi and students may have the option of studying with friends.

For administration, the problem is difficult to work around. But as it is the case now, teachers might need to accept the situation and post material online the next day for students to see.

Kara Mercer

Columnist

Students and faculty should be prepared in case of a network outage. When professors are teaching a lecture, they should prepare a backup in case the Wi-Fi goes down. Many teachers rely on Google Drives or other Internet tools to prepare their class lectures. Teachers could back up their lectures to a flash drive so they can still give their lecture. Students should be as prepared as possible for papers that are due online. If students choose to wait until the very last minute to turn something in through Blackboard, they risk Blackboard being slow or not working all together. Students should stay informed of their deadline so they can turn things in a little earlier to avoid problems.

Sometimes that situation cannot be avoided due to other classes or time commitments, so teachers should be understanding if a network outage happens.

NIU should inform students sooner when they are experiencing network connection issues. On Wednesday, when the network went out, it took an hour or more for a mass text message to be sent out. The outage ocurred at 11:35 a.m., according to a Northern Star article. I did not receive the text until 1:10 p.m. If it is a problem that can not immediately be fixed, the school should notify the campus in a timely manner.

Kaylyn Zielinski

Columnist

There are multiple things that administration, students, faculty and staff could do differently during network outages.

Faculty and staff need to be better prepared for outages. While many courses today are being taught with content that was prepared online, professors should come to class knowing what content will be covered so that class can go regardless of a network outage.

Preparing alternatives for the possibility of a network outage would be beneficial to student and professors need to be understanding when it comes to network outages. All students should be granted an extension for assignments when the network is down. Students and professors who receive a text alert ahead of getting to campus would be able to better prepare for their upcoming classes.