Campus telephone system receives overhaul, update

The campus received 847 new telephones on April 20, following the flooding and damage made to the phone control panel.

 

Citrus College’s telephone service had been interrupted since April 10, when the basement of the Administration building, currently undergoing a complete remodeling, was flooded, much to the surprise of Pacific West Construction.

 

Despite the preventative panels previously placed over the basement to protect from the water damage, the roof drains poured water directly onto the telephone panels, according to Jesse Castillo, a general contractor with Pacific West Construction.

 

This caused a small fire when the water caused the wiring of the system to short out.

 

“Water and electricity do not get along,” Leigh Buchwald, network and telecom system supervisor, said.

 

As of April 24, over 400 of the new phones were back in service, and by April 27, the rest of the phones are expected to be functioning with the exception of about 12, Buchwald said.

 

The buildings that are still waiting for network equipment are: TC, PC, TS, ED, Library and Campus Center buildings.

 

Carol Horton, vice president of finance and administration services, said the overall cost of the new telephone system is $535,000, which was mostly covered by the construction firm’s insurance.

 

The remaining costs will be taken out of capital funds given to the campus for the replacement of equipment.

 

The new telephone system is upgraded from the previous system to a more computer-based system, Linda Welz, chief information services officer said.

 

The new “voice-over Internet protocol” system uses the same wiring for the telephones used as is used by the computers on campus.

 

Instead of the computers being plugged in directly to the wall, the computers will be plugged into the phones which will be plugged into the wall.

 

Therefore, Welz advises faculty to not unplug their phones at any time as it will also disconnect their computer, an incident that has already

occurred.

 

Individuals from both Citrus and the Global CTI Group have been working in a group of 10-15 on getting the system running since the phones were put into place on April 19.

 

“They are doing what is usually done in six to eight weeks, in 10 days,” Welz said.

 

“It’s just amazing what they have done to get this phone system up,” Horton said.

 

A total of 13 sessions will be held to acclimate the faculty to the new system, with tutorials on how to use the basic functions of the phones like voicemail.

 

Welz said that for the time being the campus is still learning the basics of the features offered from the new system, but will be “extending functionality over time.”