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Volume CXXXII, Number 13 |
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ACUS becoming a hangup for many Bowdoin students
NATALIE CRAVEN
STAFF WRITER
Opting to live in the "Bowdoin Bubble" makes long distance calling a fixture of communication for the majority of students. Despite the fact that the school provides students with a long distance service, a growing number of students have shifted away from using the long distance plan provided by the school and have opted to utilize calling plans of their own.
System Administrator and Trainer for C.I.S. Lueree Horton explained, "We've seen a huge drop in recent years with people using the AT&T ACUS service. There has easily been an 80 percent decrease over the past three or four years." "It used to be that about three-quarters of the student body participated in ACUS, but the numbers now are much lower. Long distance used to be huge revenue that is non-existent recently."
Upon enrolling in the college, all Bowdoin students are signed up for the basic AT&T ACUS plan, and are given the option of using their personal account. The initial rate charged to students is 15 cents a minute, while multiple other calling plans offer cheaper rates for all calls.
In order to receive any lower-priced plan, however, students must determine which plan suits their needs best and then contact AT&T to inform the company of their intent to change billing plans. Rates run as low as five cents a minute for state-to-state calling, and eight cents a minute for calls within the state of Maine.
Mason Miller '05 used to use the AT&T ACUS plan but now uses either a phone card or a cell phone since "it's a lot cheaper than ACUS. ACUS is a hassle with all the codes."
"It's ridiculous that they make you change your rate from 15 cents a minute to a lower amount…campus long-distance shouldn't be a money-making scheme."
Horton admitted that the system can be, at times, "purposely confusing." She also remarked that "it takes a bit of an effort to figure out your calling patterns and then translate that into what plan would provide you with the cheapest service."
Other students have found ACUS to be perfectly suitable to their calling needs. Jake Claghorn '04 said that he has been quite content with the school's long distance service. "They have good rates and I haven't ever had a problem with ACUS," he remarked.
Bruce Courtney '06 said that ACUS "has always worked for me, although I don't use it often." He cited his preference for the billing plan provided by AT&T ACUS, stating, "In many respects it's better to have the Bowdoin long distance service since there is no fixed monthly rate."
Rather than the ACUS system, many students use calling cards because they receive lower rates than through the campus phone card system.
Mark Krempley '06 said, "It's cheaper, and I already knew how to use it. I didn't look into using the school plan because I'd used the card before a lot and I knew it had a good rate."
Cell phones have also become more common in recent years, a trend that is reflected among Bowdoin students. Maggie Fitzgerald '06 said that she uses a cell phone because "I get unlimited long distance minutes and reduced rates at nights and on weekends." She said that this is generally when she makes most of her calls.
Additionally, students have turned to various other options in order to avoid using the school program. One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, uses the website ww.bigzoo.com. The site bills long distance calls to a credit card. "The school plan is absurdly expensive," she said.
Although many students have turned to other long-distance options, Horton said that she "[has] not heard many complaints" from those that do use ACUS. She said that personally, she has been "very happy with AT&T ACUS…[the plan] is attractive in that it provides customer support for students at all times of day, they handle all the billing and the servicing of student accounts."
Bowdoin "has never looked at long distance as a revenue service," said Horton. "Long distance is a part of being here, and we look for the most effective way to provide services."
The college has used ACUS for the past seven years and is currently in the final year of a three-year contract.
"Bowdoin has been good about staying competitive," Horton said. "We have always looked for the best rates and compared our plans to those of other schools."
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