A recent initiative by Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) asks students in plug in their dorm phones in case of an emergency. The initiative aims to ensure communication if cell service were to fail in an emergency such as an earthquake. The University would be able to contact students via their dorm phones, and students would also be able to notify family of their condition.

The dorm phones can also be used with the DoorKing system, which not only helps keep resident halls secure but also allows students to greet guests and to admit them into the building using the landlines. According to Rodger Whitney, Executive Director of R&DE Student Housing and Chief Housing Officer, the dorm landlines also allow for local and long-distance calling “at students’ discretion.”

However, some students see the room phones as a nuisance due to surveys that have been conducted over the landlines. One student, Moses Hetfield ’18, recalls a poor experience he had earlier this quarter.

“I heard the landline ringing and was really surprised because I hadn’t given anyone that number and barely knew the phone was even there,” Hetfield said. “I picked it up and there was a woman on the other end conducting a survey for some kind of sleep research study on campus.”

Hetfield expressed frustration at the length of the call and the ambiguity of the surveyor.

“I asked her how long the study would take, and she said it varied from person to person but would probably not be very long, so I agreed to participate,” Hetfield said. “Fifteen minutes passed, then 30, so I told her that I had brunch plans I had to get to and asked how much longer it would be. She again said that it varied from person to person but that we were almost done and it would probably just be a few more minutes.”

“The survey ended up taking an hour, making me almost half an hour late meeting my friend for brunch,” he added. “I should have just hung up on her.”

Contact Jeremy Quach at jquach ‘at’ stanford.edu.