In an online survey conducted in 2002, 88 percent of polled Tufts students expressed interest in a wireless network.
Furthermore, a Daily article from the same year said, "Keeping up with the times, the University is striving to provide wireless connections on campus" ("Internet access anywhere, everywhere," April 1, 2002).
This was six years ago, and there is still no campus-wide wireless. It is thus safe to say that Tufts can no longer be described as "keeping up with the times."
Regarding university-wide wireless access, Tufts has adopted the same work ethic as Homer Simpson - it has tried to get away with doing as little as possible without appearing incompetent. And like Mr. Simpson, Tufts has failed. It has adopted a pathetic "incremental" approach to expanding wireless coverage.
There is wireless access in a few dorms, Tisch Library and the campus center, but Tufts lacks any kind of plan for campus-wide wireless, and it is unclear that the university even has this as a goal. Personally, I want wireless that stretches from Boston Avenue to Powderhouse Boulevard.
One excuse put forth is that wireless is "too expensive." According to a Dec. 6, 2007 Daily article, it was reported that the cost would range from an estimated $1 million to $2 million. But that cost could, of course, be spread across several years.
This is really a matter of priorities. Tufts is working on a $30 million athletic facilities expansion. Hotung has been renovated at least twice in the short period of time I have been a Tufts student. Last fall, we came back to find that Hodgdon had undergone a spectacular overhaul, with marble and shiny metal everywhere (the food, however, still tastes the same). There is a $10 million new dorm and a brand-new music building. These are all nice things, but I would prefer wireless over all of them. It would be great if I could be typing on my bed or a couch instead of this desk.
I have been told by several TCU senators that University President Lawrence Bacow will stonewall any attempt for campus-wide wireless because he does not want wireless in the classrooms. In a Jan. 23 e-mail, President Bacow told me, "I am in favor of wireless where it helps support our educational mission. Unfortunately ... it can often be a distraction."
But the goal of higher education should not be to put blinders on students. The Internet is not going away - hence, we need to learn to use it responsibly. President Bacow's paternalistic concerns should not be allowed to get in the way of the educational benefits wireless provides. With wireless in the classroom, facts can be quickly checked, errors can be corrected, and readings don't need to be printed.
While sitting on its hands, the Tufts network also has rules forbidding students from setting up their own wireless networks. This is ridiculous. A wireless router costs only $50. Students should be encouraged to set up their own wireless networks. If Tufts wants to spend money on new buildings instead of wireless, at the very least, it should let students set up their own wireless networks. Perhaps it could provide a subsidy as a temporary measure to expand wireless access.
Tufts should establish a long-term plan to create campus-wide wireless. Then students would know what to expect and would understand what steps are being taken. It would also be a good selling point to prospective students. Wireless is useful, functional and convenient. It is desired by the vast majority of students - over 90 percent, according to the most recent TCU Senate survey. But for campus-wide wireless to become a reality, Tufts needs to have a timeline, a plan and a goal. Tufts needs to get serious about wireless.
Xander Zebrose is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Alexander.Zebrose@tufts.edu.
