EIU’s most recent Wi-Fi survey revealed 57% of the responders approved of the residence hall’s Wi-Fi system, according to the Director of Housing and Dining Mark Hudson. 

In fall, the Wi-Fi survey reported an 85% positive review of the Wi-Fi on campus. 

“They said it’s gotten worse this semester,” said Hudson. “So, obviously it was 85% positive in the fall. We did a flash survey to send out to people again. That came back as only 57% positive.” 

Eastern has two internet service providers: Illinois Century Network, which was recently introduced last December, and Consolidated Communications. 

Most of the students are on Consolidated Communications while most of the university’s business is done on Illinois Century Network, according to Gibson. The two providers are separated to provide redundancy, meaning if one goes down, the university puts everyone on the other. 

“Over the course of the school year, the technology folks have done things to tighten up the security on the system,” said Hudson. “I’m sure you’ve seen some of the national news around about people getting hacked and getting into people’s databases and stuff like that.” 

Illinois Century Network was introduced early this year to help with security, according to Gibson. 

“The Wi-Fi is something that we’re always invested into, always trying to make better,” said Gibson. “It is something that we’re continually evaluating. We have staff that are working on [it].” 

A group of students assisting the housing department brought the Wi-Fi problem to Hudson’s attention first, he said. 

Hudson passed that information onto the Information Technology Services. 

“ITS were alarmed,” Hudson said. “They went through the same thing, they went to look through their work orders and they said, ‘There’s just not that much here.’” 

Head of Eastern’s IT services Ryan Gibson said there wasn’t a notable uptick in computer support tickets. 

“Our tickets aren’t any different than they have been for the last five years,” said Gibson. “So, if students are experiencing some sort of issue, we’re not hearing about it directly.” 

Hudson’s department sent ITS the names of the people who responded to the survey. Twenty people were randomly selected to follow up on their responses. 

“They got an email from ITS saying, ‘We’re trying to figure out what’s happening, what’s not happening so we can work on it,’” said Hudson. 

ITS put a computer on the residence hall Wi-Fi system last week to check for problems. Hudson said the internet connection dropped a couple of times. 

“They said, ‘We tweaked some stuff, and we’re going to keep monitoring this machine to find out what else is happening there,’” Hudson said. 

Gibson and Hudson both noted the importance of submitting support tickets. 

“If the Wi-Fi isn’t working for you, call the help desk. Our help desk will absolutely try to make it better,” said Gibson. “If there is a more systemic issue, something that’s a larger issue, the best way for us is to hear from students and what their experiences are.” 

Aidan Cusack can be reached at 581-2812 or at atcusack@eiu.edu.