Auraria Student Lofts raises prices of internet

Students weary of slow speeds

Recently, the Auraria Student Lofts raised its internet prices. Because of this increase, many students living there are expressing concerns to managing staff.

The Auraria Student Lofts’ internet was free until the Nelson Brothers, which is the new wifi management, raised the prices to a three tier system. The more a student pays, the faster their internet is. The free option is still available, but it struggles to run simple programs such as Netflix.

Rising internet prices tend to be associated with higher speeds and greater accessibility; however, is a free option is available, students expect it to function. “The internet at the Auraria Student Lofts is so shockingly bad I can’t even do something as simple as play a game of Fortnite,” Ross Kendall-Selwyn, a business student at CU Denver said. “It is a struggle to perform basic functions. I try to take online quizzes at campus for fear of the internet cutting out. The Auraria Game Free internet has not worked for a solid two weeks.”

As Kendall-Selwyn articulates, the internet being down can be a serious concern for students, as it affects multiple aspects of their day-to-day lives—not only an academic schedule. According to CU Denver Quick Facts, there were “475 online and hybrid courses,” as well as “30 fully online degree programs” available as of Fall 2017. This made “CU Online one of the most established online programs in the country.” A surface-level analysis of this program would suggest that these classes could offer a more flexible curriculum that suits the diverse student body of CU Denver. However, relying upon weaker internet services could impact the academic careers of these students.

Even with concerns being expressed to new management, results have been difficult to come by. “Internet speeds are extremely slow and management knowingly does nothing about it,” Criminal Justice major Jacob Kennell said. This conflict between management and residents has provided the greatest divide in this development.

This divide can affect many aspects of residents lives. CU Denver boasts 19 percent out-of-state resident students, and an additional seven percent are international students. Many of the students living in campus housing fall into one of these two demographics. Residents who do fall into these two categories require high-speed internet more than most in-state resident students as it provides the only feasible way in which these students can interact with family and friends abroad.

Students have expressed interest in leaving student housing as a direct response to these speeds falling. “It’s tough enough being a student,” said Kendall-Selwyn. “But it’s even harder when you feel like there’s no support for you at your own home.”