The US National Science Foundation (NSF) hired the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) to assess and provide recommendations on the state of internet technology throughout TCU’s.
As part of that assessment, representatives from AIHEC held a formal listening session in Pontiac Hall to hear from students and faculty about the internet technology needs at Haskell. AIHEC Sr. Associate for Strategic Initiatives, Al Kuslikis, facilitated the meeting and listened to student concerns on topics ranging from unreliable WiFi to campus food security. A common theme that resurfaced throughout the meeting was the perceived lack of communication between students, faculty and administration.
One student at the session contrasted his experience at Haskell with his experience taking classes at KU. He complimented KU’s considerable use of online resources that helped facilitate communication and improved the quality of his educational experience. Another student suggested offering Blackboard training to faculty members who don’t feel comfortable using the website for their classes. Other suggestions included: the ability to view and make payments on your student account online to reduce foot traffic at the Bursar’s Office, offering Online/E- Learning courses for out-of-state and off-campus students to expand enrollment, and upgrading old Internet hardware on campus.
Haskell Chief Information Officer, Josh Arce, confirmed plans to install wireless internet access points to approximately 700 rooms across campus. The $750,000 project has been in the works for over a year but wasn’t approved after the project’s quote came back higher than expected. While no concrete timeline has yet been established, Arce says that he expects work to begin this semester and continue through Christmas break.
If everything goes to plan, before summer break every dorm and classroom will have access to campus Wi-Fi without having to worry about supplying their own router or falling into a dead zone.
