PLU Campus Phones
PLU has a digital telephone system, which means that the phones are different from the traditional phone you may be used to. No phone other than the one provided will operate in your room with the exception of South Hall. Conversely, the phones at PLU will not work anywhere else. In fact, plugging one of these digital phones into a standard analog jack could destroy the phone’s circuitry which operates at a much lower voltage. Because the phone is digital, devices such as answering machines and modems will not work from your room. Please observe the following guidelines with regard to PLU’s phone system:
- Do not unplug the phone for any reason unless you are instructed to swap out your phone for a new one at the Help Desk. The system reads an unplugged phone as a “dead phone” and will block your extension and send an alarm to the technician. If you would like to program your phone so that it doesn’t ring, you can do so by pressing *2# at the dial tone (Remove with #2#).
- Do not attempt to repair, modify, open or otherwise tamper with the phone. There aren’t any user serviceable parts on the phone. Once damaged, the phone must be replaced in its entirety at a cost of approximately $200 each.
- Voice messaging systems fall under the Telecommunications Act which makes tampering with another person’s voice mail, or making prank and obscene calls illegal. The university vigorously prosecutes these violations both criminally and via the conduct system.
Local Service
There is no charge for local calls. Local Directory Assistance (555-1212) is a toll call and is not available (no direct dial) unless you use a calling card account to charge the call. Free directory assistance can be found on the web via 1-800-goog-411 (see 1-800-goog-411 for info) or http://www.dexknows.com/.
Long Distance Options
Placing Long Distance Calls (800 Numbers)
Operator assisted calls may be placed with any long distance vendor you choose. To reach a specific long distance vendor operator or automated voice assistance menu through PLU’s system, dial 9+ the appropriate 8xx number (Do not dial a 1 first) For more information please review the back of your card.
Opening Calling Card Accounts
Students opening calling card accounts with vendors must use either your permanent home phone number or ask for a “non-subscriber” account. DO NOT use your residence hall room phone number when you make application for these accounts. The phone lines in your residence room are not considered residential service lines with the phone company but rather business lines which belong to PLU. PLU automatically closes any and all of these accounts that use individual room extensions, without exception. Please check with the Help Desk if you have questions. Calling cards or accounts opened on PLU business lines which generate charges will be billed to the student who opened the account plus any administrative costs and will be closed immediately.
Prepaid Calling Cards
Prepaid calling cards are another option for long distance. They are widely available through a number of telecom vendors and businesses. All of these cards use 8xx access numbers to make the long distance calls with no dialing restrictions for their use.