Welcome to the U of O Residence Halls
Some Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

University of Oregon Telecommunications Services welcomes you to campus! If you are new to the residence halls, your questions regarding University telephone service should be answered below. If you are a returning student, please keep this material for reference. If you have questions not answered here, please call us during business hours, 8:00-12:00 and 1:00-5:00 Monday thru Friday: (34)6-1023.


1. How much will I pay for long distance?

All long-distance calls within the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, are currently $0.06 per minute for all time periods. Current OREGONET International rates, including Canada, can be accessed at UO TELCOM STUDENT HOUSING/RES HALL OREGONET Intl Rates.   The University of Oregon no longer sells pre-paid calling cards as local vendors can provide better rates to our users.

2. How do I sign up for OREGONET?

You can sign up for OREGONET via the internet!  It's easy and quick at   https://millrace.uoregon.edu/ldauth/authcode_app.cfm.   A long distance code will be immediately generated to your Gladstone or Darkwing  E-Mail account upon completion of the form.  This form can be used at any time to sign up for OREGONET. 

 If you don't have access to a computer or miss us during  fall check-in, you can call 6-1023, give us the necesary information and we will fill out the form for you and notify you of your code.

Although you may use your code from any  campus room, if you vacate the residence halls mid-year, please call 6-1023 to cancel your service.

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

OREGONET long-distance authorization codes should be kept confidential. Calls billed to your code will be charged to your University account using your student ID number. If you are sharing a room, each of you should have your own OREGONET code to simplify things and to avoid roommate problems.

4. How do I sign up for voice mail or call waiting?

Voice mail is available to students in the residence halls for a one-time charge of $25.00 for the academic year. Call waiting is offered at $13.50 per academic year, and it is possible to sign up for both services. We would like to offer private voice mail boxes to each student, unfortunately, there are not enough available telephone numbers for that to be possible. If you are interested in adding these optional features to your line, please first discuss it with your roommate to determine who will pay the charge, then sign up at the OREGONET table or return your form to your Area Desk and ask them to send it to Telecom Services via campus mail.

5. May I pay to have my own telephone line?

Yes, while phone numbers are available, it is possible to have your own telephone line. There is a one-time activation fee of $25.00, followed by a recurring monthly charge of $15.00. Voice mail and call waiting would still be an additional cost.

6. 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 and any recurring monthly charges will be sent to your UO mailing address around the 7th of the month immediately following your billing cycle. Although this statement will look like a bill, immediate payment is optional. The actual bill will later appear as a line item labeled as a "communications" charge along with housing and tuition charges on your regular UO accounts receivable bill. Any prepayments accompanied by the stub from the itemized statement will be credited to your UO account.

Please note: If you are signing up during fall check-in, you will not receive a billing statement until early November.

7. 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 then wait a few minutes while we calculate your bill by hand and can call you back.

8. 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 $.06  per minute with no hidden charges, OREGONET offers reliable service which is convenient and fair.

You may use a calling card  or 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.

 
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. 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 call the operator for the company you are using.

11. 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.

12. Who do I call if I have a question about my telephone bill?

Bobbi Bothel is the Student Services Coordinator and your first point of contact. If you have any questions, please call her at the 6-1023 or E-Mail to bothel@uoregon.edu