While St. Olaf has always offered telephone services, the high rates have often made students resort to "dialing down the middle." This year, St. Olaf Telecommunications announced that it was lowering the phone rate to an omnipresent 8-cents a minute.

The catch? "We havenŐt found one," explained Craig Dunton, director of telecommunications. The rate applies to calls made at any time of the day, weekends or weekdays, making it less confusing for students. Last year, the 10-cent rate only applied to evenings, but telecom found the patterns in studentŐs calling hours changing. "[The students] must be studying later," Dunton joked.

The company working with telecommunications on campus, Qwest, recently lowered their rates, and therefore, the rates are passed on to the students. The consistent rate will also make it easier for everyone to make sense of their monthly phone bills.