Residence Halls Telephone Guide

Equipment

Each student Residence Hall room is provided with at least one telephone line. You need to bring your own telephone when you move in. Your telephone must be a touch-tone with a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency mode (DTMF) in order to work properly with the university telephone system.

If you share the room with a roommate, you must reach an agreement on whose telephone to use since only one telephone set is required. If you would like to request a second line, please see Adding a second line.

How to put your phone in service

Locate your room telephone jacks and plug the line cord into the left jack if the jack is mounted horizontally, or the top jack if the jack is mounted vertically. Lift the handset and listen for a dial tone. If there is no dial tone, verify that the line cord is properly connected at both ends.

Basic Service is restricted to campus calls only

The basic campus telephone service allows you to dial any campus phone by entering the last five digits of the campus telephone number. There is no charge for calls to other campus phones.

If you wish to call off campus (including access to 800 numbers, operator services, and other long distance carriers), you must activate your own personal LINK Code number by calling the Telecommunications Automated LINK Code service (see Off-Campus section on the next page).

Call Trace/Prank Phone Calls

If you receive a prank, obscene, or harassing phone call, there is a feature available on all Residence Hall phones that may assist you in addressing the situation. A call Trace feature may be activated by hanging up after receiving such a call and then dialing "*57".

The phone system will "hold" the incoming call and trace it back to its originating number. The resident activating this feature would then receive a recorded message stating whether or not the trace was successful.

If successful, the resident would need to file a police report with the UIC Police at extension 6-2830, since information about the trace would only be available to the police. Once such a report is filed, UIC Police will proceed with an investigation.

If the trace reveals the call was made from a resident student phone, the Housing Office would be notified in order to consider taking disciplinary action separate from any action the UIC Police may feel is appropriate. There is a $4.50 charge for each use of this service, and residents are asked only to attempt tracing calls involving obscene or harassing calls, since the trace information is only available to the UIC Police. If these harassing calls are received on Voice Mail, do not erase before reporting these incidents.

Making obscene or harassing phone calls to other students or Residence Hall staff is strictly prohibited and will result in serious disciplinary action.

ResPhone Account

A ResPhone Account and password enables you to direct-dial off campus for local, metropolitan, long distance and international service and to reach operator services and 800-number service. ResPhone accounts are billed at $2 per month to your account. You must activate your ResPhone account online by visiting: http://resphone.uic.edu.

Obtaining a ResPhone Account

"New Student" Resident

To setup your ResPhone account please visit http://resphone.uic.edu

You will be asked to set up a ResPhone password. A ResPhone password must be 10 numerical digits - the first 5 digits are automatically assigned by the system and you are asked to choose the next 5 digits.

The system will then process your request and assign your ten digit password. Please remember your password, as you will need it to dial all off-campus phone numbers. If you forget your ResPhone password please visit a CSO consultant in any one of the public computer labs on campus as they will be able to reset it for you.

If you have difficulty using your ResPhone account to place a call please contact the ACCC Telecom Customer Service Representative at ext. 6-6706 during business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"Returning Student" Resident

Your ResPhone password will remain the same while you are a student at UIC. It will be deactivated at the end of every semester. Once you return to the dorms you will be asked to reactivate the account. Once you have reactivated the account you will be able to continue making external calls using your ResPhone account just like you had done in previous semesters.

Security of Your ResPhone Password

You will be held responsible for charges incurred with the use of you ResPhone account so you should take precautions to protect both your ResPhone password as you would, for example, a credit card. We strongly urge you not to share your ResPhone password with others since you are responsible for all calls placed using it.

If you suspect unauthorized use of your ResPhone account, you should report it immediately to the UIC Police at 6-2830 and to ACCC Telecom at 6-6706. Once the UIC Police has registered the complaint, they will begin an investigation.

Operator Services

You may access the operator services of the local telephone company (AT&T), or the long distance vendor of your choice with the use of the LINK Code (see Dialing Instructions). The university has made special arrangements with AT&T for use of its operator services, but you have a right to use any long distance vendor of your choice with the use of the ResPhone account(see Dialing Instructions). See Dialing Instructions for ways to access AT&T operator services.

Operator services can be used to make credit card calls, collect calls, billed-to-third-party calls, or any other call that requires special operator handling. You should know that using operator services to make a call is always more expensive than direct dialing. Currently Ameritech charges $1.05 for handling each operator-assisted call in addition to the cost of the call. This charge is subject to change without notice.

Important reminder

When using the operator services of any vendor, you are not permitted to charge your room telephone number for the cost of the services, nor are you permitted to accept any collect or billed to third party calls charged to your room telephone.

If these guidelines are not followed, an additional $5 service fee will be assessed for each call that is charged to your room telephone line. This service fee, plus the cost of the call, will be charged to one of the residents assigned to the room, with payments and reimbursements to be settled among the room's occupants.

Each student room telephone line will automatically have the Call Waiting, Ring Again, Last Number Redial, Speed Calling, and Call Trace features packaged at a cost of $2 per month per student.

Call Waiting

A tone will alert you to another incoming call.

Pressing the switch hook will allow you to put the first caller on hold and answer the second call. To temporarily deactivate call waiting, press 76# before dialing your desired number. Once you hang up the line, the call waiting reverts back to normal.

Ring Again

This feature will notify you when a busy campus phone becomes available.

If you get a busy signal when calling a campus phone, you may press the switch hook once, listen for a stutter dial tone, press 112, listen for a confirmation tone, and hang up.

As soon as the busy number becomes available, you will hear one long ring followed by two short rings from your phone. Pick up the handset within 18 seconds, and the system will automatically redial the previously called number.

To cancel Ring Again, lift the handset and press 112, listen for a confirmation tone, and hang up.

Last Number Redial

Pressing the pound key (#) twice will automatically redial the last number dialed.

Voice Mail

Allows you to send and receive recorded messages when direct telephone conversation is not necessary or possible, without using an answering machine.

As a subscriber to Voice Mail, you can send, receive, respond to, and redirect messages to any other subscriber by using a touch-tone phone in your room or elsewhere.

Voice Mail is installed separately for:

• $4 per month cost for a 16-message capacity Voice Mail box or $7 for 32 messages or $10 for 48 messages.

  Each line has the call waiting feature, the Voice Mail can be used in one of two ways:

  • If you do not want to be interrupted while on the phone and would like Voice Mail to pickup incoming calls (rather than being interrupted by call waiting), you need to deactivate the call waiting feature by dialing 76# each time before placing the call.
  • If you do not deactivate call waiting and you are on the phone, the second call will be picked up by the call waiting feature, while a third call would be answered directly by your Voice Mail.

Since Voice Mail is tied to a phone line, if you apply for Voice Mail, both you and your roommate will share the Voice Mail box and must therefore, send separate emails to the ACCC Telecom office at uiclink@uic.edu requesting the service. For complete privacy, you would need to request a second phone line and Voice Mail on that second line.

Caller ID

A monthly charge of $3.00 (rates subject to change without notice) for the basic number-only service will be charged to your room.

Charges can be billed only to one account and will appear on the billing statement of the subscriber. Roommates should work out their own cost sharing.

You need to send an email requesting Caller ID to uiclink@uic.edu that includes your full name, your UIN, and your phone number. You will be responsible for all costs associated with establishing Caller ID. You will need to obtain your own caller ID box. Be sure to purchase the correct box for the service you request in order for the system to work correctly.

Termination of Voice Mail

To cancel Voice Mail, notify the ACCC Telecom office, or send an email to uiclink@uic.edu (be sure to include your full name, your UIN, and your phone number). Otherwise, you will continue to receive bills for the monthly charge until your Caller ID is disconnected.

Should you wish to add a telephone line in your room, contact the Building Operations Office in your complex. You will be responsible for all costs associated with establishing a second line, and the monthly line charge of $17.75 plus all usage charges each month. If it is necessary to install a second jack in your room, the installation cost will be $200 to $400. Charges can be billed only to one account and will appear on the billing statement of the subscriber. Roommates should work out their own cost-sharing arrangement before going to the Building Operations Office.

It is your responsibility to notify the Telecommunications Office to disconnect the second line when you no longer need it or when you leave the Residence Hall. Otherwise, you will continue to receive bills for the monthly line charge until your phone is disconnected.

On-Campus Calls

Dial the last five digits of the seven-digit telephone number

Local Calls within the 312 area code

Dial 8 + ResPhone Password + 1 + 312 + seven-digit telephone number

Long Distance Calls and Metropolitan Calls outside the 312 area code

Dial 8 + ResPhone Password + 1 + area code + seven-digit telephone number

Directory Assistance

Ameritech can provide directory assistance for all local and long distance numbers.

Dial 8 + ResPhone Password + 411

Note:The charge for each 411 call is currently $.80. This rate is subject to change without prior notice.

International Calls

Dial 8 + ResPhone Password + 011 + country code + city code + telephone number

Operator Services

Important Reminder: When using operator services of any vendor, you are not permitted to charge your room telephone number for the cost of the services, nor are you permitted to accept any collect or billed to third party calls charged to your room telephone.

If these guidelines are not followed, an additional $5 service fee will be assessed for each call charged. This service fee, plus the cost of the call, will be charged to one of the residents assigned to the room, with payments and reimbursements to be settled among the room's occupants.

AT&T's Automated Operator Services

Dial 8 + ResPhone Password + 1 + 800-225-5288 and select the service you require. This service allows you to automatically bill your call as a collect call, bill to a third party call (to any non-university number), or credit card call (including the use of MasterCard, Visa, or American Express credit cards).

To Access an AT&T Operator Directly

Dial 8 + ResPhone Password + 0 + 0

To Access AT&T Operator Services

Dial 8 + ResPhone Password + 0

To Access All 800 Services

Dial 8 + ResPhone Password + 1 + 800 + seven-digit telephone number.

Report all telephone problems to the Building Operations Office in your complex, 5-6520 for the East Side, 5-6410 for the West Side, and 5-6206 for South Campus. Here are some suggestions for solving telephone problems prior to calling your Building Operations Office.

No Dial Tone

1. Verify that the handset cord (connects handset to base of instrument) is properly attached at both ends.

2. Verify that the line cord (connects base to jack) is properly attached at both ends.

3. Verify that the line cord is plugged into the left jack if the jack is mounted horizontally or the top jack if the jack is mounted vertically.

4. Remember if there are two sets of jacks in the room, only one has a dial tone.

5. Try another phone in the jack to determine if phone is defective or if the jack does not work.

If after going through each of the five steps your phone still does not work, contact the Building Operations Office in your complex.

Can't Call Off Campus

1. Remember you need a ResPhone account to be able to call off-campus telephone numbers directly.

2. Verify that you have correctly followed the dialing instructions for your ResPhone account.

3. Verify that you are dialing the correct telephone number.

4. While holding the handset to your ear, press each number key and check for a tone while the number key is depressed. If there is no tone, see your Building Operations Office.

Phone Does Not Ring

Plug in your phone in a friend's room to determine if the problem is with the phone set or with the telephone line.

Static or Can't Hear the Other Party

If you can't hear anything on your phone, plug in the phone in a friend's room to determine whether the problem is with the instrument or with the telephone line.

In keeping with a paperless society concept, your monthly telephone statement is available on the Web.

The billing period is from the 16th of the month through the 15th of the following month. Statements will normally be posted to your UIC account receivable by the 25th of the month. The statement contains a listing of all calls charged to your account plus the monthly charge information, including taxes (current rates include a 7.5% state excise tax, a 7% city municipal tax, and a 6% overhead fee).

A summary total of these charges will appear on the monthly bill you receive from the Office of Business Affairs Student Accounts Receivable Department listed as a ResPhone charge. These charges should be paid in the same manner as any other university charge.

Billing Statement

You can review your monthly Res-Net and telephone charges directly on the Web. You will need your UIC email account and password to gain access to your statement. You can find the statement at:

https://telecom.accc.uic.edu

If you think your bill is wrong or you need more information, contact the Telecommunications Office's Student Customer Service at 6-6706. The quickest way to have a question answered is to bring in or send a copy of your statement indicating the call or charge in question to the student customer representative. Please include a phone number where you can be reached during the day.

IMPORTANT REMIDNER
Remember it is your responsibility to cancel all telephone services (Voice Mail, & Caller ID) that are activated upon leaving the residence hall for 30 or more days to avoid continuous charges.

Call Rates

The university has been able to negotiate very favorable long distance calling rates with AT&T and is currently able to offer Residence Hall students a very competitive rate: $ .03/minute for local calls and $.07/minute for ALL domestic long distance calls. This rate is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and there are no additional access fees, minimum calling times, or surcharges.

Connecting to your Internet Service Provider via your phone

Using a modem and your Residence Hall phone line to connect to your Internet Service Provider (e.g. AOL) will result in very costly per-minute local or long distance usage charges. Each UIC Residence Hall room is equipped with high-speed computer connections and students may request to have service activated in their room. The basic Res-Net cost is $40.00 per semester. For more information or to sign up, see section on Res-Net.

Using Non-University Long Distance Vendors

You should be aware that if you choose to place your long distance call through a non-university vendor, you might incur extra costs and higher rates. If you use operator services to place your call, you will be billed at a higher rate and the call may include an additional surcharge. Surcharges are also applied to all credit/calling card calls. Call ACCC, Telecom at ext. 6-6706 if you have questions about calling rates.

AT&T provides a list of Country/Area and City Codes for calls placed from one country to another, and also a link to a time zone server, so you can be sure not to call when it's the middle of the night:

AT&T Worldwide Traveler: Country and City Codes

The Chicago metropolitan area is served by a total of seven area codes, two of which are used within the city of Chicago. The approximate geographic boundary of area code 312 is North Avenue on the north, 35th Street on the south, Western Avenue on the west, and the lakefront on the east. Area code 773 serves the rest of the city of Chicago.