Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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GAMECOCK LXX1V , No. 78 University of South Carolina Mondav February ft. 1QR9 Studen Phones BY LEZLIE WALLACE SUff Writer USC students have been using campus l phones illegally to make out-of-state calls over the past year resulting in a bill in excess of $20,000 for the first ten months alone. Although individual students are not being billed for these calls, $20,000 worth of phone 11- I 1 J O ? cans nave ueen maae irom eDruary 1981, to November, 1981. Debi Flippo, director of communications for USC, said that the bill increased each month, and that the bill from December to present has not been received yet. General Services, a department of the state of South Carolina, has issued a credit to the university for the calls. General 1 Services usually pays for USC's long distance calls. However, according to Larry Huckabee, uperauons manager tor (ieneral Services, they hope to get reimbursed by Southern Bell, since the ability to make long distance calls is a result of a defect in their equipment. The phones were fixed on Thursday, according to Huckabee. When the Gamecock began its investigation on Monday, no one knew the phones would be fixed. Huckabee said Southern Bell had indicated to him that they could fix the phones, but they would be turned back on mu. 1 1 -LA i uui suay iugrii. Huckabee said he had been out-of-town most of the week and said he was not aware for certain that the phones had been taken care of. On Feb. 8, 1981, USC changed its phone system to the Electronic Switching System. To dial campus numbers, 7 plus the four digit number had to be dialed instead of only the four-digit number, as it had been. The university was to have toll restricted phones, which meant that phones on campus could be used for only local calls. USC had to pay Southern Bell an additional $.65 a month for this feature. On April 20, Flippo was notified by Residential Life Services, that erroneous long distance calls were appearing on their use To Di By TOM COYNE News idittir USC announced Thursday plans to discon degrees in penology and law enforcement College of General Studies and said other chc upcoming. The programs are two of seven asso programs the university defended last y< Commission on Higher Education attempted t College of General Studies. Frank Borkowski, vice-president of academ the cancelling of the two programs is jus university's continual reassessment of courses The letter from Borkowski to CHE exec Howard R Rnn/pr HntpH Mnt; on ioqi ... iwi, ? announcement regarding the phasing out of t degree programs be made until the February commission. Borkowski said the phasing out was not a i university's policy to protect the College of G but part of a routine review of academic progri "Because of enrollment and marketabilii Drotframs it antieared annrnnrinto Hicr>?nt ? v -- ?jri??- ?? ?vv uiovvimi programs," Borkowski said. its Use i Ill^ro.11.. In October, 1981, Southern Bell presented a verbal recommendation to General Services as to how to correct the situation. | Flippo was told that she could do nothing until General Services responded to this recommendation. Flippo was told in December 1981, "that the credit expected from Southern Bell for the erroneous calls during these past months would have to romp from n#?n*?rai Services, since Southern Bell does not bill us direct for this service." Huckabee said there are approximately 400 phones on campus which could be used for these long distance calls. However, some were fixed long before most were on Thursday. Jerry Brewer, general manager of Student Media, said the phones in Russell House had been fixed earlier. The phones in U 1 IT-! oi ' itunt ui me aiidCii Ucll ctllU UIUUI1 dlBllOIl, and the phones in the Gamecock, WUSC and the Garnet and Black offices were all used for long distance calls. Brewer reported it to Southern Bell and they fixed the phones. The phones in Bates House were fixed over Christmas. Bates House had a total of $5,000 in calls from August to December. iscontinue T Last spring USC fought a two-year degree programs. programs offered by General tinue two-year offered at Midlands Technical? offered at the The commission focused inges would be secretarial science and management. The House E ciate degree Committee voted to oppose the ear when the T^e commjssion has based o eliminate the consulting firm's report. T1 programs were offered at tec lie affairs, said stitutions across the state anc it part of the review the necessity of occupat f pArlrAtllflri 1~ '* : ' ' ijmi nuwon.4 aciiu III1S I CVIIJW 1< :utive director of the programs. nested that no Commission member Fred S hese associate to terminate the programs wa: meeting of the after negotiations with the aca fall. reversal in the Sheheen, chairman of the a eneral Studies said the commission agreed to urns. university time to "take the dec ty of the two channels." inue these two Sheheen described the nego university and the commissi liic^any I phone bills. Upon investigation, Flippo l discovered that long distance calls were J being made on interior phones in residence j halls. She informed Southern Bell, who said they would look into the situation. On June 17, 1981, Flippo and Anne Still, service consultant for Southern Bell, made long distance calls on several phones to verify that the interior stations could be used to dial long distance. They found that they could place out-of- Stat#1 Pflllc hu HialinO Q nine 1 nlnr n ??uj uiumi^ <j ^iuo x j^iuo a icii uigiL number. Southern Bell told Flippo that their Switch Service Division would be notified, \ and she would be kept informed of the | progress as it occured. | On Sept. 11, 1981, Southern Bell informed | Flippo that "the problem was related to the | interaction of the toll restriction feature * with the DAIN Long Distance Network Access method." They also said that the situation was discussed with General Services in a mfwtintJ nn q iq?i ' ', : . *.' *\V>>. : *. .* /> >y * . ' . V. < '* - :: ' ft 5 ft ' I fa 1 % -' |>. ^Vi^:sV>' >;ftA ^ vVx % -; USC students have been using cai distance calls since last year, resultii far. The government office in Bates House had a $475 bill. The phone list for the government office is in Washington, D.C., being investigated. That list can be traced since only a few people have access to that phone. When the Gamernnb mpntinn^H tn EMi - ? "KJ'" on Thursday that some phones had been fixed, she was surprised and said she knew nothing about it. Until the phones were fixed, many residence halls had lines of students in their lobbies each night. Bates House had a sign stating a threeminute time limit on calls, and one desk attendant voluntarily tried to keep people off the phone. No one in authority had ever instructed desk attendents to keep students from making these long distance calls. AHVimicrh linoc hotia linnn ision through the appropriate Borkowski sa plans to phase c tiations as an effort by the the university w on to address problems of of General Studi . >.V.UU(,1I illi^u UUTb l/\A, 11 I CJJUl ICU 111 II1C Towers lobby, one desk attendant claims that they don't allow lines. They said when wo Associat CHE ruling to discontinue all program duplicj i ne commission said seven battle as the one Studies duplicated programs Borkowski's 1 College. in penology and on two such programs, year's course ca hotel restaurant-tourism The letter s ducation and Public Works programs will U commission's decision. and will be allow their ruling on a Cleveland B?rkowski sa le report said comparable financial c hnical schools and senior in- curren^y woJ^ 1 suggested USC periodically Programs be phi ional associate degrees. .. L)urin8 c s what led to the cancellation a Pro8rams fr and programs ,T " Rrv nciicon sciiu iiie decision "" * s voluntary although it came se?m?d rc asona demic affairs committee last _ ? v J'*1 s College of Genei tcademic affairs committee, are"n^er consi< honor the request to give the suc^ changes an J, \J >iipus telephones to makp long- ? _ <3* ng in a bill in excess of $20,000 thus Staff Photo By LAURA WILUND they heard more than five digits being dialed, they went over and told them that Southern Bell was taping the calls. The same desk aides also admitted that they used the phones themselves. Although Southern Bell was not taping any calls, Flippo said Bell does have a list of every call made, and if they want they can trace the calls and prosecute the callers. some students who used the phones saw nothing wrong with it. They didn't feel they were hurting Southern Bell's profits. They said they felt they had paid Southern Bell so much that it was not hurting them at all. Students who had used the phones said their calls had never been traced. Some would only call other schools with switch boards or hall phones. Others said they instructed people they did call to tell anyone who called that they did not know anyone in Columbia. e Degrees ations without becoming involved in a similar that took place last year. etter stated the associate of science degrees law enforcement would not be listed in next talog and will no longer be offered at USC. tates students currently enrolled in the ike courses in the College of Criminal Justice /ed to finish their degree requirements, id after reviewing the programs and given :onstraints undor whirh thp nnvorcitv ic ;ing it seemed appropriate that those jsed out. ourse of reviews of our programs we review om doctoral programs to associate degree are added and phased out as deemed rkowski said. "After review we thought it ble to phase out these programs." letter added, "Additional changes to the ral Studies not requiring commission action ieration. The commission will be notified as e implemented " id the future changes did not refer to any iut any other two-year programs. He did say as considering a name change for the College es.