Wi-Fi plays a huge role for most, if not all, students on campus. Our world seems to stop for those couple of minutes to an hour or two and, according to Kim Lammers, our voices were heard in the Student Satisfaction Survey.

Over the summer, IT, Residence Life, Facilities, Marketing and two outside vendors updated the Wi-Fi.

Lammers, Director of Residence Life, said that not only have they added Wi-Fi hotspots and wifi cabling in the dorms, there is an employee who is in charge of the Wi-Fi in the residence halls.

“We are very happy to offer this upgraded service to our students,” Lammers said. “Students have asked for it and we are ecstatic to be able to give this to them.”

The Student Satisfaction Survey told Lammers that students are streaming their shows, so cable will only be offered in the lobbies of dorm buildings. Ethernet will be offered for students who need it, but based on consultation and AU IT study of Ethernet usage, the school will focus more on Wi-Fi than Ethernet.

“The cost to upgrade Ethernet connections would have been cost prohibitive and, according to IT sources, obsolete in the near future,” Dr. Rob Pool, Vice President for Student Affairs, said.

Cable ports will remain in the senior apartments.

Outside of Wi-Fi, Ethernet and cable, there have been many improvements in dorms.

Students may plug surge protectors into as many outlets as there are in a room. Refrigerators may be plugged into a surge protector.

Only three strands of Christmas lights may be plugged into each other. They may not be used as an extension cord or hung from the ceiling.

The Student Satisfaction Survey showed that students would like better communication regarding work orders and there is an online work order form at housing.ashland.edu. Students will receive a confirmation email when the work order is submitted, an email when the work order is completed and facilities workers will also put cards in rooms when they have entered to fix items.
Last year, a 24 hours visitation policy was piloted in the first year dorms during the spring semester. Now, in order to have guests overnight, students must complete a roommate agreement at housing.ashland.edu and have the approval of their roommate.

For additional campus security, cameras were installed throughout campus on the exterior doors.

Room freezes will still last for two weeks at the beginning and end of each semester, but there will be a $25 room change fee for students who wish to change rooms after the two week room freeze.

“Our hope in instituting this fee is that students will work with their roommates by creating roommate agreements and setting boundaries before choosing to move rooms,” Lammers said.

Student Conduct boards will have an increase in student representatives on Student Conduct boards from one student to three students. Student representatives will be from Student Senate.

The last improvement is an incentive to go out and have fun at campus events. Pool said that Nicole Dyer and her staff in Student Life installed a new “Engaged” software system. Once the system is fully installed, students will be able to scan their student IDs as they attend select campus events and build points toward incentives and prizes.

Students will get co-curricular transcripts records of their student organization memberships and volunteer service. This will help AU plan and track information around student organizations, activities and community service.

“(The Student Satisfaction Survey) is an opportunity for students to give us feedback on areas of improvements,” Lammers said. “It is important that we hear students requests and feedback, and try to enact changes where and when we are able to. The change in Student Conduct boards came from a Student Senate resolution.”

Students can check out the changes and rules in the Student Handbook.