Dear Campus Community,
In the course of migrating campus from the Cisco phone system to Zoom phones, we discovered that some of our Talk-a-Phone emergency towers were not functioning properly. Five towers remain fully functional; unfortunately, there are two nonfunctional towers that have incompatible hardware and cannot be incorporated into Zoom phone.
The two nonfunctional Talk-a-Phones are located:
- along Commencement Walk, just off N. 11th Street, next to Baker Stadium, and
- at the northwest corner of Todd Field, between Wyatt Hall and the Music Building.
Campus Talk-a-Phones are part of Puget Sound’s emergency planning efforts to keep campus members safe. The towers hold phones that immediately and automatically dial Security Services when in use and include loudspeakers that broadcast campus alerts in the event of large-scale emergencies, such as a natural disaster.
We are working to restore Talk-a-Phone functionality to the two offline locations, and expect a full resolution within the next eight weeks. In the short term, we are working with our vendor to secure replacement hardware. Later in the semester, we will replace all seven Talk-a-Phones with new, enhanced towers. We will continue to provide updates to the campus community as they become available.
We’d like to remind all Puget Sound community members and guests to take the necessary precautions to remain safe while on campus. Be aware of your surroundings, utilize well-lit paths and areas, and remember that Security Services is available to offer transportation escorts 24/7 by calling 253.879.3311. For more information about Puget Sound’s emergency planning, visit pugetsound.edu/emergency.
Stay safe, Loggers!
Sarah Rush Comstock (she/her/hers)
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students