Is WIFI the Real Issue?
Reported By: Ellaynah Brown
Illustrated By: Sydney Simmons
It’s a beautiful day on the quad: the sun is out, there is a slight breeze, and all of your friends are gathered together to soak up the rare but precious bit of sunshine. You lay out a blanket, grab some snacks, and set out for a productive day of doing homework in the fresh air. A beautiful sentiment, isn’t it? Unfortunately, the reality of a spotty internet connection will likely force you back inside or strategically pick a less-than-ideal spot near a building.
It may be hard to imagine now, with long days of overcast skies and weather that chills you to the bone, but will be a time when the sun invites us outside again. The George Fox University (GFU) campus quad is a beautiful piece of greenery in which I desire to spend more time; however, as students, much of our time is spent doing homework. So, in an effort to get the best of both worlds, many students take to the quad to study.
As much as the university showcases the quad and students working on it in their advertising, one would assume that internet connection would not prove itself to be a problem. But, the internet on the quad is known to be spotty and weak, making it hard to complete homework efficiently. While there is not much to complain about with the internet connection in the academic buildings and other common spaces, the connection on the quad makes one of the campus’s best study spots (in terms of ambiance and scenery) an impractical place to work.
Why is the internet so bad out here? Is it reasonable to expect an internet connection outside? Are there ways to improve connection? GFU Institutional Technology (IT) has answers.
Currently, there are no wireless access points in place to provide service to the quad, so the internet that is available is from surrounding buildings. In order to strengthen the service on the quad, wireless access points would have to be added. While the expense is reasonable, the challenge would be the setup, as it would require scouting out mounting locations and running cable to these locations.
“There have been occasional requests for internet coverage in the quad for specific events,” said Tim Goodfellow, chief information officer for GFU’s IT department. Upon hearing these requests, the department has been attentive to setting up temporary solutions. Apart from these specific requests, “we haven’t heard much feedback regarding the internet on the quad,” said Goodfellow.
There is potential to improve connectivity on the quad, but it is not a high priority. “If there was an indication that this was something that was important to the community then we could make it more of a priority in the future,” said Goodfellow.
As in most cases, the lesson learned here is that change is unlikely to occur if the current state is not being questioned or addressed.