For the past month we have assumed that the only internet on campus were the free wi-fi networks in the main building and the courtyard near the building and so we have been walking over there whenever we need internet. For me, that has been every two to three days but I’ve gone as much as four days without so much as checking email, a very strange thing for me.

Well, one of the German students on our floor who speaks Russian very well went to an office somewhere on campus and asked if it would be possible to maybe someday have internet in the dorms. They said he had to file a written request. So, he scribbled down his name, room number, and the phrase “wants internet” and later that day someone came to his room and entered a password and suddenly he had internet. Today my roommate went and made a similar request, but when they came to our room they said the signal wasn’t strong enough in our room (the other student is on the opposite side of the hall and is connecting to a network in the adjacent building) and that maybe in two to three months there might be a router in our building.

The signal isn’t strong, but using the same password for the network on the other side of the building, I am able to connect to the network of the building we see out of our window, sometimes. It’s not reliable and is very slow, but at least I can check the weather and latest polls.

I would have expected that if there was a network that they allowed students to use, they would have, at the very least, posted some sign on the bulletin board or front desk along the lines of “call this number for computer services.” Or when students arrive there would be a welcome folder or brochure or email with a campus map and important numbers. Or somewhere on the school’s website there would be information about requesting access to closed networks on campus.