Hey professor, got a quarter?
UAlberta profs lose office phones
Professors at the University of Alberta are losing their office phones as part of a plan to reduce departmental budgets by five per cent. So far, according to the Edmonton Journal, the lines have been cut in a number of liberal arts departments, including philosophy and English and film studies. Scandinavian languages professor, Chris Hale, wonders whether smoke signals and courier pigeons should be used as a substitute. “Most people, when I tell them this, they break down laughing,” he said. Professors who need a phone should be able to find one in faculty lounges and departmental offices, and tax credits are available for those who use a private cell phone. Still, profs might want to start stocking up on quarters so they can plug campus pay phones.
While cell phones are as ubiquitous these days as credit cards, so this measure is not as crazy as it sounds, still, this type of penny-pinching does risk making the U of A a laughingstock.
While it may sound ridiculous, keep in mind the following:
1. Professors are rarely in their offices, when they are it’s often for office hours – ie. face to face time, they are not available then for phone calls.
2. They often have to share spaces – this is especially the case for grad students who hold office hours
3. Almost all are accessible by email
So why when IP addresses/phones, wireless internet, Skype never mind cellphones/Blackberry are commonplace are we worried about landlines?
I haven’t used my office phone in 3 years anyway. I think it’s a good move.