OIT offers local calls throughout Triangle at no cost

Following a policy implemented in early September, members of the Duke community can now call anywhere in the Triangle at no cost. Most students said they were unaware of the change, but those with families in the area said they appreciated it.

"It was kind of frustrating. I had to use my cell phone, but now it's easier to keep in touch with people in Raleigh," said freshman Kim Jao, whose family lives in Raleigh. "We are the only school I know of in the Triangle where the students aren't charged for making these calls."

But student cost, billed as 7 cents per minute, was not the motivation behind the decision. The policy resulted from a new deal the University signed with Verizon Communications.

Paula Loendorf, OIT director of tele/video communications and customer support, explained that previously, GTE charged Duke on a per-call basis. But as the volume of calls at Duke Hospital increased, the University sought an agreement with a flat fee. They found that agreement with Verizon.

"We had so many charges, especially with the hospital, that we worked out a new plan with Verizon. We have always paid a trunk fee to Verizon for the local connection with their office and Duke. It is no longer billed on a per-call basis. It is a flat fee that we agreed upon with Verizon that has been added to [Duke's] trunk fee."

The revised trunk fee was agreed upon after reviewing the average number of calls made to the Triangle from the University each year.

Although students living off campus already paid no fee for such calls, the policy gives on-campus customers this same ability.

Loendorf said students were confused by the change at first, as they tried to use their Student Authorization Code cards--issued to them freshman year--to pay for the phone calls. "There was a lot of confusion and misunderstanding among the students," Loendorf said. "We needed to clear it up once and for all."