Students say Wi-Fi issues in dorms make completing work more difficult
By GAVIN MENDOZA, Senior Reporter
Online assignments are becoming more common, but some students say occasional Wi-Fi problems in university residence halls make getting that work done difficult.
With the pandemic, online assignments have become a popular way of learning for students across the country.
However, some Northwestern students have experienced issues getting their electronic devices to connect to Wi-Fi.
The Northwestern News made multiple attempts to ask Matt Adair, the university’s housing director, about the issue.
None of those attempts were successful.
Zac McEachern, a freshman business major from Enid who lives in Coronado Hall, said he has experienced Wi-Fi problems. They have affected his homework and personal activities.
“With my TV or PlayStation, it only happens about once or twice a month when they do not connect, which is not a big deal,” McEachern said. “With my laptop, it is an every other day kind of thing, which makes me use my hotspot. It does not affect my school work too much anymore because I just use my hotspot now, but using that a lot uses a lot of data.”
Northwestern installed new Wi-Fi equipment in dormitories in 2020 after students returned to campus amid the coronavirus pandemic. The upgrades cost roughly $450,000, according to previous reporting by the News.
Before the new systems were installed, students had to purchase their own routers for their dorm rooms. More infrastructure has been installed on campus since 2020, but students say they still struggle with internet issues.
Madeline Long, a freshman early childhood education major from Laverne who lives in Fryer Hall, said she has had problems with the Wi-Fi as well. Sometimes, she’s lost internet connectivity in the middle of an assignment, she said.
“There have been times where nothing will connect to my laptop,” Long said. “It has cut on me while I have been working on homework or typing a paper.”
Like McEachern, Long uses a hotspot for her laptop when she cannot connect. She also uses the campus buildings as resources..
“I prefer to do my homework in either the library or the Student Center because it is more reliable,” Long said.
Kansuke Okada, a junior business major from Osaka, Japan, lives in Coronado Hall and said he has experienced similar problems.
“When I am in Coronado, there were a lot of Wi-Fi problems, at least once of twice a week,” Okada said. Unlike McEachern and Long, Okada does not have a hotspot and has to wait for his laptop to reconnect. Otherwise, he’ll go to the library.
“I rarely go to the library and mostly just try and wait until the Wi-Fi lets me reconnect,” Okada said. “But it has happened to me while I have been doing homework and tests for class.”