Eugene Paul Arellanes / MOUNTAINEER
A dead dial tone is what students hear when they try to use a payphone here on campus. There are only 16 payphones, nine of which do not work and one that was recently removed.
Most of the nonworking payphones are located in the most secluded areas, such as near the soccer fields. Rebekah LaVann, 20, kinesiology major, said, “Payphones are here only for show.” La Vann opted to cancel her cell phone plan due to the high monthly payments and said she feels the only way to contact others is via email or by asking someone to let her borrow their cell phone.
La Vann said that she feels liberated from the dependency of a cell phone, but that finding a payphone that works on campus is nearly impossible adding that she wonders what would happen if an emergency were to come up.
Ricardo Sifuentes, 19, undecided major, said he chooses not to have a cell phone because it is very expensive and he connects with his friends through other methods, such as the iPad.
Sifuentes said the payphones should be fixed for students to feel safer in case their cell phones die or they do not have one.
However, most students rely on their cell phones. Mario Aguirre, 21, music conducting major, said, “A day without my cell phone is something I just could not imagine.” After recently losing his cell phone, Aguirre tried using a payphone by the library to contact his sister and found out that the payphone had a dead dial tone.
“My phone is my second brain, not that I need one,” said, Aguirre. He added that he feels students who are dependent on their cell phones would find the availability of working payphones important because if something were to happen, they would feel more secure knowing they could use the nearest payphone. This is especially true for those who take night classes.
Mike Montoya, assistant director of public safety, said that there are still payphones here on campus despite most students having a cell phone because it is a necessity. He added that the campus public safety conducts a test once a week on the blue emergency phones located throughout campus. Montoya said payphones are not in their jurisdiction and a private company called Adelphia is in charge of making sure the payphones are working.
Montoya added that the emergency alert is available for students who register through their online portals. The students receive a text message or voicemail informing them of any immediate threat, such as an earthquake or any other situation that can present danger. There are also other emergency procedures posted in the Mt. SAC portal for students whether they use a cell phone or not.
Montoya also said that it is very important for students to register for this program and update all of their contact information incase an emergency occurs.
According to Montoya, Adelphia was notified of the poor conditions of the payphones and said they would conduct a test to fix them.
“I hope it’s not just talk and they actually do something about the payphones,” said Aguirre.
-Teresa Contreras
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