Along with the traditional items such as bedding, refrigerators and microwaves, students moving into ASU residence halls found one other item added to their shopping list.
Starting this fall, students living on-campus no longer receive a free phone line in their rooms; instead, they must order and pay for their own. The price for phone activation and yearlong service will total $170, Residential Life officials said.
Mistalene Calleroz, associate director of Residential Life, said a survey conducted of first-year students showed that more than 80 percent of students owned a cell phone.
"More and more schools across the country are eliminating land lines in halls as more mobile technology evolves," Calleroz said.
Students choosing to purchase the dorm room phone line will also be responsible for buying their own telephone, Calleroz said.
She said that community telephones were placed on each floor of the residence halls, 226 total, to provide emergency 911 services and local calls.
Sociology freshman Molly Mulholland, a Palo Verde West resident, decided against purchasing a phone line for her dorm room, as it was another added expense that she felt should not be her responsibility.
"When you're trying to deal with everything up front, it's a burden having to pay for a phone line on top of that," Mulholland said. "I think that if you are paying for housing on campus ... a phone line should [be included]."
Morgan Johnson, an undeclared freshman living in Manzanita Hall, does not feel the lack of a phone line would be a problem for most.
"I don't think it's a big deal," Johnson said. "Everybody uses their cell phone anyway."
In addition to eliminating phone services, Residential Life also began outsourcing resident mailing services through two UPS Store locations on campus, a service that costs $5 per year and a separate $5 mail key deposit.
Two campus UPS Stores, located in Palo Verde East and the Sonora Education Center, provide all mailing services to ASU residents, excluding those living in Center Complex.
Officials plan to open another at the new McAllister Village in 2007.
Center Complex residents still receive mail directly to their residence halls but must go to the nearest UPS store to pick up any packages.
Bio-chemistry sophomore Tyler Jorgensen, a Center Complex resident, found this change to be problematic.
"It is highly inconvenient for those of us living on the south campus," Jorgensen said. "It worked really well last year ... when we checked in, they had our mail key and parking pass ready for us but this year it was up at the UPS store."
According to Calleroz, the outsourcing of mail was simply an attempt to provide students with the best possible service.
"Residential Life's primary mission is to provide living and learning communities, which support and enhance the student experience at ASU," Calleroz said. "Residential Life was unable to provide the world-class mail service students deserved. Thus, we sought a company whose primary mission is to provide excellent service."
Reach the reporter at rkost@asu.edu.
