The red, British-style phone booths on campus might rarely be used for calls, but they still have a noticeable presence on campus.
“They have a historic, glamorous feel to them,” said Julia Ross, international business junior. “They seem like they’ve been part of the campus for years.”
The phone booths have only been on campus for about ten years, Jay Doyle, OU press secretary, stated in an e-mail.
OU President David L. Boren brought the phone booths to campus in the 1990s to give OU an international atmosphere, Doyle stated.
The phone booths were installed through a sponsorship deal with Southwestern Bell and were initially equipped with coin operated phones, which helped pay for their upkeep.
The phones are no longer coin operated however, and are no longer available for long distance calls.
“When OU’s previous pay phone provider removed all pay phones from campus, OU IT converted the red phones to courtesy phones, which can be used free of charge to make local calls,” said Nick Key, OU Information Technology spokesman.
The cost to provide the service is minimal because OU Information Technology maintains the phone lines as part of the existing telecommunications infrastructure, he said. The hardware and booths for the phones are already paid for, cutting the maintenance fees even more.
Ross said she realized the convenience of the phone booths when she had to use one last year because she had locked her keys and cell phone in her car while in the commuter parking lot near Dale Hall.
She said she hadn’t used the phone booths before, but knew she could use them for local calls.
The phone booths’ appearance resonates with students, faculty and visitors, whether they are used to make phone calls or simply to provide a pleasing visual image.
“I’ve had friends visit from other universities, and they always notice the phone booths,” Ross said. “I think they are appealing and unique to our university.”
Phone facts
Booth locations:
• Northwest side of Couch Cafeteria
• In between Dale and Copeland Halls
• Northwest side of Richards Hall
• Southeast side of Oklahoma Memorial Union
• Southwest side of Jacobson Hall
• West side of Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
Origin:
• OU President David L. Boren brought the phone booths to campus in the 1990s to give the university an international atmosphere.
• OU Information Technology maintains the phone lines as part of the existing telecommunications infrastructure.
