Junior Ed Gesumaria, who works for Campus Recreation and is part of the pilot program, said the phone has made it easier for him to stay in touch with the campus. "The features on it are incomparable," he said. "I use it primarily for e-mail and the shuttle bus locator. The service has been incredible."

By Jennifer Fusco

We all see them walking around campus between classes--almost every student talking on a cell phone. What you probably don't know is that many of them--100 to be exact--are participants in a pilot program designed to test whether traditional land lines in residence halls at the University might become obsolete.

The Office of Information Technology (OIT), in conjunction with the Division of Student Development and Campus Life, has been working on the program that explores the use of cellular telephones only for campus and off-campus calling. But other unique uses are also being examined. The pilot project has been designed with the assistance of Rave Wireless, a telecommunications consulting company that is an industry leader in the development of cellular wireless technology and Nextel.

The intent of the effort is twofold: to determine the feasibility of providing students in residence halls with a cell phone instead of a land line phone, and to explore the ways in which cell phones can be used to improve communication among students, faculty members and the administration.

According to a survey of 199 MSU students conducted by Rave Wireless, 95 percent have a cell phone with a calling plan and cell phones are the center of communication for the students who use them. "The use of land line phones for students is in precipitous decline," said Edward Chapel, director of OIT. "Students just plain don't use them. They are increasingly reliant on cell phones as the primary tool in their communications arsenals; they are an integral part of how next-generation learners gather and work. The pilot seeks to leverage the ubiquity of cell phones in order to improve communications."

Technology allows for cell phones to provide the ability to run applications that are not possible for land line-based services, beyond voice and text messaging.

"This is an opportunity to add valued services for the students through the cell phones," said Chapel. The pilot is testing a number of functions, including: cell phone-based Web application to locate the shuttle bus; robust text messaging whereby students can send a single text message to a list of recipients; real-time classroom assessment whereby the class responds to questions asked by a professor by selecting from a multiple choice answer set using the cell telephone keypad; a bread crumbing safety solution whereby students can alert campus police that they are walking to their car and ask that their trip be monitored by campus police using GPS devices; access to the Blackboard interface using the cell phone to communicate with classmates and the professor and access to the MSU directory via the cell telephone. "A cell phone is a powerful tool for doing hundreds of applications. This is only scratching the surface of the services these phones can provide," added Chapel.

Junior Christine Dias said the phone is making her life easier and uses it mostly for text messaging. "It's a good program and it has really helped in Campus Rec because everyone has them."

According to Chapel, the pilot has reached its first plateau. Feasibility has been established and it is now at the logistics phase of making it a cost-effective solution for students. "Providing the means for an alternative for land line services in the residence halls is very desirable in and of itself. Cell phone technology is pervasive and it's always available. That's what makes it the most effective communication tool for reinforcing a sense of community. It is instantaneous, mobile and flexible. The laptop as a form of portable communication is essentially outdated. Cell phones are the preferred use of technology for the millennials."

Keith Fonseca, assistant director of Campus Recreation, who has served as a liaison between Rave Wireless and the University, said communication among his employees participating in the pilot has greatly improved. "It's brought everyone a lot closer socially, but it also helps us work better together. We are able to be in direct contact all the time."

Fonseca believes the University eventually will adopt the use of universal cellular phones campuswide. "It will benefit everyone. We'll be able to receive instant messages about the weather, school closings and more. It creates a closer community."

Montclair State is one of only a few institutions that are moving proactively in this direction. "It's one of the advantages of being on the cutting edge of something," said Chapel.