Welcome to Spencer View and Agate Student Housing:
Some Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

University of Oregon Telecommunications Services offers local and long distance service to residents of Family Housing.  We are continually striving to provide the best telephone service possible at lower rates than QWEST. To begin service, or to add enhanced services such as voice mail or call waiting, call Bobbi at (34)6-1023.

The following are some common questions and answers designed to further explain the services we have to offer.

1. How do I activate, change, or disconnect my telephone service?

We are open Monday through Friday from 8:00am-12:00 and 1:00-5:00pm. In most cases we can activate your phone within an hour without needing to send out a technician. Simply dial 6-1023 from a University telephone and give us your name, student ID number, and apartment number. We will mail your long-distance OREGONET code as soon as possible. If you need to place a long-distance call right away, you may make special arrangements with Bobbi at Telecom when you call to activate your service. Or, if you prefer to visit us in person, our office is located at 1244 Walnut Street behind the gas station on Franklin Boulevard.

Please call us before you move out to disconnect your telephone and OREGONET code.

2. How much does it cost to install a phone line?

There is a one-time activation charge of $25.00. Recurring monthly line charges are a low $15.00 per month for basic service. Voice mail may be added for an additional $3.00 per month, and call waiting is $1.50 per month. It is possible to have both call waiting and voice mail on your line.


3. How much will I pay for long distance?

All long-distance calls within the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, are a flat rate of $0.06 per minute for all time periods. International rates for economy and standard times vary country to country. You can access the international rates for OREGONET at http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/oregonet.htm .   The University of Oregon no longer sells pre-paid calling cards as local vendors can provide better rates to our users.  If you need further information, please call Bobbi at 6-1023.

4. If I'm sharing a phone with a house mate, how are the calls billed correctly to each of us? Do we have to split the bill after it is received?

We will mail each of you an authorization code which ties the long-distance calls you make to your University account through your student ID number. We strive to mail codes out as soon as possible. If you need your code right away, please make arrangements with Bobbi at Telecom when you call to order telephone service. Couples or house mates with separate finances may request separate authorization codes if both of you are University students.

5. When and how will I be billed?

Long-distance charges are billed from the 21st to the 20th of each month, and itemized statements of long-distance calls plus any recurring charges will be mailed to you around the 10th of the month immediately following the billing cycle. The actual bill will appear as a line item labeled as a "communications" charge along with housing and tuition charges on your accounts receivable bill from the University.

6. Is there a way of obtaining information about calls I've placed before the statements are mailed out?

Yes there is. Because your calls are automatically discounted at the end of the billing cycle, the raw data stored in our billing system before that date is not yet priced correctly. Therefore, if you are moving away, or have a specific call you would like to research, it might be necessary for you to give us your information and we will calculate your bill by hand and call you back.

7. May I use another long-distance carrier?

Unfortunately no, the only available long-distance carrier is AT&T.  OREGONET is the easiest and generally the most economical way to dial direct from University housing.  Although various long-distance services offer seemingly better rates, there are often hidden per-call, monthly, or minimum charges which significantly increase the actual cost of a call.  At six cents per minute with no hidden charges, OREGONET offers reliable service which is convenient and fair.

You may use a calling card  or a pre-paid card from another company as long as the charges are not billed to your telephone number. Because your phone is wired directly to the University telephone switch, and the State of Oregon has a contract with AT&T, the indirect provider of your OREGONET service, it is not possible to sign up for regular long distance access through another company.

8. How can I place a collect call or calling card call?

Dial 9+0+area code+the telephone number, or 9+the toll-free access number your carrier has given you to have the call billed to your calling card. After hearing a long-distance carrier identification, an announcement will give further dialing instructions. If you need help, dial 9+00 for an AT&T operator, or the operator for the company you are using.

9. How do I dial University phone numbers and local off-campus numbers?

All University phone numbers begin with the prefix 346. When calling other University numbers from campus, simply dial 6+ the remaining four digits. To make an off-campus, local call, dial 9 + the seven digit phone number. Dial 9 before toll-free 1-800, 1-877, and 1-888 numbers as well.

For further dialing instructions, refer to http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/student_dialing.htm

10. Why am I hearing music when I try to place a call?

Music means the local circuits are busy, and that you are in queue to wait for an available outgoing trunk line. If you remain on the line, your call will be processed as soon as one becomes available--usually within a few seconds.

11. I understand that caller ID is available in the Eugene/Springfield area. Can I use it in family housing?

No, unfortunately caller ID is not available at this time. However, your phone number will be passed to the people you call off campus who subscribe to call ID service.