UVA has 100% Wi-Fi — Why don’t we?

Hi everyone,

I’m actually blogging from the University of Virginia today — I’m spending the weekend here for a debate conference.  While I was here, I noticed one very stark contrast that separates UVA from Mason — they have blanketed the entire campus with 100% Wi-Fi (wireless internet) coverage.

It’s an amazing feeling, knowing that no matter where you go, you can get on the Internet.  I’ve been in academic buildings — I get wireless.  I’ve spent some time in the residential dorms — I get wireless.  I was walking on the Quad, and my phone vibrated — I had new emails, which I only knew about because I get wireless.  No matter where I go, everywhere inside and most places outside, they have covered this campus with blanket wireless coverage.

So what about Mason?

Mason has made great improvements in recent years, but we’re still not all the way there yet.  When I started at Mason, in Fall of 2006, I often found academic buildings with no wireless internet.  Nowadays, as a Government and International Politics major, I often have classes in both Robinson Halls, which have been thankfully covered.  But I keep hearing from students that buildings they have classes in — Krug and King Halls, for example — have yet to be covered.  Getting internet on my phone while walking around outside? Forget about it. Heck, even the Student Government office doesn’t get proper wireless coverage.

To the credit of the administrators, they have been making improvements.  At the beginning of the Fall 2007 semester, the Johnson Center was retrofitted with 42 new wireless access points.  During a meeting last week with fellow Student Government members, Mason’s VPIT/CIO Joy Hughes and VPTSD Walt Sevon were kind enough to provide Student Government maps of wireless coverage in the Johnson Center:

JC Ground Floor - Wireless Map

JC 1st Floor - Wireless Map

JC 2nd Floor - Wireless Map

JC 3rd Floor - Wireless Map

So what can we do next year?

The University Master Plan provides for full wireless coverage…eventually.  We’d like to see it happen next year. Covering the entire JC with new wireless access points cost less than $10,000 — relatively inexpensive for the breadth of coverage. There are plans in motion to improve this coverage again this summer, increasing the speed by 10x. At the same time, we’d like to see increased range in the outside parts of the JC and other areas that have not been sufficiently covered. Furthermore, over this upcoming summer break or the next winter break, we’d like to see progress made on all remaining buildings and open areas on campus. It’s not difficult or expensive to do — it’s just something Student Government has to push for, one of those Real Solutions we’d like to see happen Right Now.

Thanks for reading!

-Ravi Udeshi
Candidate for Student Body Vice President