Student Information FAQ

The following questions are common problems or complaints that students have voiced in the past. Read through this list, and your answer will most likely be found. If you do not see the answer to your question here, please call the Help Desk at 978-542-2036

Q.   I am an incoming student and I am not sure how to get phone service in my residence hall room. Can you help me?
A.   The Salem State College Telecommunications department provides all student residence hall rooms with dial tone and the ability to make local and on campus calls.

Q.   Do I need to bring my own telephone?
A.   Yes

Q.   Do I need to buy an answering machine?
A.   No. Voice mail has been included in your phone service. Purchasing additional hardware for the purpose of having your calls answered is not necessary.

Q.   I have no dial tone. What should I do?
A.   Call the Help Desk at 978-542-2036.

Q.   How can I get instructions?
A. Call the Help Desk at 978-542-2036, select the telephone option and leave your name, dorm and room number and we will return your call as soon as possible.

Q.   The directions on how to initialize my voice mail did not work or I got locked out of or forgot my voice mail password?
A.   In either case, call the Help Desk at x2036. Follow the prompts and leave your name and telephone number and we will reset your mailbox. Please remember to change the default password to ensure the privacy of your messages.

Q.   I initialized, but all my calls are going to voice mail! How can I get my telephone to ring more than once?
A.   First, try canceling the "send all calls" feature by getting dial tone and pressing #3. You should receive a confirmation tone (3 quick tones). If this does not work, call the Help Desk at x2036.

Q.   Will there be additional options (e.g., call waiting)? If not, why not?
A.   We are exploring with our vendor the possibility of providing additional features. Call waiting is not available because voice mail has been implemented on all resident student extensions. While you may miss a call because you are on the phone, you are certain of receiving any messages left for you while you are talking.

Q.   What if my phone jack isn't working? When will the cable jack collapse situation be remedied?
A.   We are working on several solutions to this problem. Until we resolve this issue, please call the Help Desk at x2036, or 978-542-2036 to report cable jack problems. We will correct these problems as soon as possible.