Got Internet?

Administrators at Memorial have recently taken the initiative to upgrade the state of the university’s wireless Internet network. While they are saying that improvements have been made, students and library staff are still finding it hard to connect. Patrick Knee, who is a network administrator for Computing and Communications with Memorial, says he wants to get the word out there that the university has made changes that will improve wireless internet connections for students and staff. “We have increased wireless coverage in several buildings now, but we aren’t quite sure if the MUN student body is aware of what we have done.” According to Knee, who has the primary job of taking care of the wireless system, upgrades have been made in the University Centre, QEII Library, Education building, Science building, and to most of the Engineering building. In addition, Knee says upgrades have been implemented in various residences in Paton College, including Barnes house. Garrett Lamer and Chris Russell, both Nova Scotia natives, students at Memorial, and residents of Barnes house said they were unaware of any upgrades that may have taken place and that the state of their Internet connection has not changed. Both Lamer and Russell say their connections are poorest at what seems to be peak hours, between noon and midnight, when seemingly most students would be using the provided wireless Internet connection. “There is no point in even trying to watch a YouTube video during the day because it just takes too long to load and it keeps cutting in and out,” said Lamer. Russell says that overall, Internet connectivity around campus is really slow and things end up taking longer than they should. A library clerk on duty at the QEII library also agrees, commenting on the topic calling the wireless connection at Memorial “terrible.” Karl Pereira, a marine studies student at the Marine Institute, thinks that campus connectivity isn’t the best but gives credit to the speed of the computers in the Commons. Pereira thinks students wouldn’t mind paying a little per term, or allocating some of their MUNSU membership fees to put towards improving web access around campus, the same fees which he says pay for the salaries of MUNSU members. “We shouldn’t say we have something if we cannot offer it, saying that we have perfect wireless in all of the buildings around campus isn’t true,” said Pereira. Back at Computing and Communications, Knee says that wireless upgrades will soon begin in the Earth Sciences building.

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