Res Life pulls dorm cable boxes

Juniors+Grace+Hawkins+and+Allie+Waguespack+watch+cable+on+a+laptop+in+their+dorm+room+on+Sept.+11%2C+2019.+

Cristian Orellana

Juniors Grace Hawkins and Allie Waguespack watch cable on a laptop in their dorm room on Sept. 11, 2019.

Georgett Hernandez

Being a generation that relies heavily on social media, electronics and subscriptions, there is not much time for television. Something is always happening, and there is just not enough time to sit down and watch it. Making the cable industry no longer viable in colleges.

After surveying students for the past three years, Amy Boyle, director of Residential Life, concluded that students were no longer using the cable boxes that were available to them in the residential halls. Taking action, Boyle saw that the best option would be to cancel the cable subscriptions, which would save money for the university.

In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Residential Life and Media Services surveyed students about their TV consumption. Mainly, they found that only 20% of students had a TV connected in their rooms and that 61% watch most of their TV programming on their computer. Following this survey, Residential Life decided that cable boxes would no longer be provided for personal use but rather in common areas.

“We are in progress of renewing all subscriptions in common areas in residence halls,” Boyle said.

Although the services will still be available, some students do not seem to contend with the circumstances. Feeling upset about the situation is Caroline Budd, political science freshman.

“We are all paying a pretty significant amount to live in these resident halls. Also, they announced that we would have lounge areas with working televisions,” Budd said. “I now rely on my computer streaming services, which are still limited.”

Even with the claim from Boyle that cable boxes will soon return to common areas, students are left to wonder how long that will take. As for now, Boyle has said that if students wish to access cable, it would have to be through their own services.