At a time when many professors can't even print syllabi for students because of budget cuts, UF is spending nearly half a million dollars to install wireless Internet in the common areas of dorms.
However, according to Sharon Blansett, assistant director of housing for marketing, public relations and research, the $400,000 that will fund the first phase of a three-part installation comes from a reserve fund specifically designated for such housing projects.
According to Azfar Mian, director of housing for administrative services, the UF Department of Housing and Residence Education is a self-supporting operation that generates revenue from rent, not the university.
Every year, the department sets aside part of its revenue into a special reserve fund to pay for large renovation projects such as roof and window replacements and bathroom renovations, Blansett wrote in an e-mail.
The department has been working with the Inter-Residence Hall Association, also known as IRHA, for two years to place wireless Internet in common areas through this reserve fund, Blansett wrote.
Jon Sheffield, IRHA president, said students have expressed their desire for wireless in various residence hall meetings and that IRHA staff members know from being students themselves how helpful the installation would be.
Originally, the first phase of the project, which will install wireless in Hume Hall, the Beaty Towers, Jennings Hall, the Broward Area and the Yulee Area, was scheduled to begin in July, Blansett wrote. However, because contractors want projects to keep their employees working, the department was able to get a better deal on the installation, she wrote.
The $400,000 will cover the cost of installation, hardware and wiring, Mian said.
Because the money is coming from the reserve fund, the installation will not cause rent to go up, he said.
Phase two, which will include the Tolbert Area, the Graham Area and the Keys Residential Complex, is set for next year. Phase three, which will include the Springs and Lakeside residential complexes and Murphree area, will be finished either next year or 2011.
Mian said the dorms were scheduled for installation in the most cost-effective order.
Sheffield said wireless Internet will be a good way to get students out of their dorms and into the common areas where they can meet other students.
"We want students to be in the community," he said. "That's one of the most fantastic things that UF housing tries to provide."
