A petition proposed by Student Government (SGA) senator Daniel Brookins, junior legal studies major, was used last year to show that 97 percent of students wanted access to the video chat service, Skype. The petition prompted the lift of a Skype ban that was placed by the Office of Information Technology (OIT) last year.
Brookins said it was the voice of the students that caused the ban to be removed.
“I’m really glad I was able to help make a positive impact on campus. Opportunities to make a difference like these are the reason why I joined SGA,” he said. “At its basic level SGA should be the voice of the students. And in reality, without their voice and support in the survey we still wouldn’t have Skype on campus. Students can make a difference.”
Students were previously denied access to Skype because of concerns by OIT regarding proposed threats from the service to campus network security.
Yashoda Patel, junior pre-med student, said, “I never understood why [Skype] was banned in the first place. NSU has many international and out-of-state students that use the website. To ban Skype means that you’re disconnecting them from family they don’t always get to see.”
Fernando Ruiz, junior biology major, said, “I was devastated by the ban. I frequently make international calls to Spain, so banning Skype meant that I couldn’t talk to my relatives; it was a very difficult time for me. When I found out the ban was lifted I was relieved. I had spent so much money on calling cards. ”
The Current contacted OIT to find out what steps were taken to ensure network security since Skype was reinstated. However, the representative in charge of the project was not available for comment.
