DeKALB | Land line phone use in the residence halls has dropped over the past few years due to the introduction of cell phones.

Because many students are using cell phones as their main form of communication, land line phones in the residence halls may seem obsolete to those who live there. NIUTEL has witnessed a decrease in the use of the land line phones in residence halls for long distance calls over the last three to four years, said Elizabeth Leake, associate director of Information Technology Services.

Although there has been a decrease in long distance calls from residence hall phones, Michael Stang, director of Residential Facilities and Operations, said that incoming calls and calls between NIU phones have remained steady.

Despite the increase in cell phone use, Stang and Leake both said there are several reasons why land line phones remain in the residence halls.

“Although most students in the residence hall system have cellular phones, not all do,” Leake said. “Sometimes students want the land line. It’s less expensive to use the land line. The cell phone dies, is lost or broken, or the quality is not what you want on a particular call.”

Stang said security is a main reason why land line phones are still in residence halls.

“911 calls from cellular phones are not reliable enough for us to count on their use in the event of an emergency,” Stang said.

Land line phones are provided in the residence halls and included in the room and board package, as Housing and Dining is focused on “student-centered service,” Stang said.

“This means we have a greater challenge to provide newer and better technologies to students,” Leake said. “That said, we are still committed to doing everything we can to identify, test and implement products and service that will enhance NIU student life.”

Both Stang and Leake said land line phones will not be eliminated from residence halls in the near future.

“That day may come as people become more mobile, and more and more technology goes wireless, but we do not see that happening in the immediate future,” Leake said. “It’s a few years out yet.”

“There are still very few schools that have taken this step, mostly due to safety concerns surrounding 911 calls and the inability to pinpoint where the call might be coming from [on a cell phone],” Stang said. “Also, students are often reluctant to provide their cellular numbers to the university; they prefer to keep their personal, academic and job-related phone use separate.”