Student Technology Fee Committee Approves Proposal to Improve Campus Wi-Fi

Western Washington University’s Student Technology Fee (STF) Committee has approved a proposal to allocate $400,000 of the Student Technology Fee financial reserve toward the improvement of Wi-Fi across campus.

The financial reserve funds will be used to invest in coverage in Red Square and high-traffic exterior corridors from Old Main to the Flag Plaza, as well as sufficient coverage of classroom and lab spaces.

“It has to be so frustrating to go meet with a professor or work on an assignment around campus and your connection to the Wi-Fi gets lost,” Greg Smith, Western’s interim Vice Provost and Chief Technology Officer, said. “This improvement won’t completely take care of the lack of coverage around campus, but it is a pretty good effort.”

Prior to this approval, departments around campus would have to use their own budget to improve or pay for better Wi-Fi. With this investment from STF the university will be in a much better position to maintain the Wi-Fi coverage and continue expansion with future STF allocations.

The STF Committee made the final approval after students on the committee, Megan Brodie and Jane Tarabochia, stepped up and urged the committee to approve this proposal.

 “The debate over the process and final decision was extensive, and I am especially proud of how the students rose to the commitment to see this approval to the very end,” Smith said.

The improvement will take place after engineers pinpoint the Wi-Fi dark spots around campus, so they can decide where more coverage is needed.

Work will begin this summer, once Carver is complete, and hopefully be operational by fall quarter, Smith said.

For more information on this approved proposal, contact Greg Smith at greg.smith@wwu.edu or (360) 650-3917.