The recent winter storm has left some still without Internet and power, and Del Mar College is looking to help students who need Internet access anyone who needs it; the best thing is, it's free.
Del Mar College Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lenora Keas said, between the pandemic and the winter storm, many students have little or no online access.
Keas said the community college access is being provided in designated parking lots for those who need it.
“We recognize that after the freeze last week, that many families are without electricity or internet and it’s coming back on slowly in some areas,” she said.
Del Mar College student Michael Haas said using the free parking-lot Wi-Fi on the East campus came in handy for getting homework done.
“We still did not have power on Thursday in my area, so I was able to show up take the practice exam and review what I missed for the exam,” he said.
The service began during the pandemic as a way to help students without Internet access at home to be able to keep up in school.
“We recognize that this was a service that we could provide to the local community as so many students went to remote learning,” Keas said. “So we saw this as a real need, and as our community college we saw this as an opportunity to provide this service."
Below are the instructions for accessing the Wi-Fi, locations of the hot spots on campus, and the rules the college has regarding social distance.
K-16 students can access VikingNet seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. in designated parking lots that have high-density access points at four DMC locations (maps provided), including:
- East Campus Venters Business Building - parking lot adjacent to Ayers Street,
- West Campus Health Sciences Buildings 1 & 2 - parking lot adjacent to Airport Road,
- Center for Economic Development (3209 S. Staples) - parking lot adjacent to Staples,
- Northwest Center in Calallen (13725 Northwest Blvd.) - parking lot behind the building.
To log into VikingNet, current DMC students will use their college-assigned username and password, which they use for WebDMC, and their student email. They will be directed to a splash page, where they will enter their credentials.
Non-DMC students (all grades) will gain access through a guest account. Users will select VikingNet as the hot spot, and then fill out a guest-access account request.
This process is self-service, and in real-time. Students who have questions or need technical assistance with accessing VikingNet can contact the Information Technology Department Help Desk Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.; email Vikinghelpdesk@delmar.edu, or call 698-2330.
Some rules to follow:
- Free Wi-Fi service is for educational purposes only and is not for video streaming and Netflix or other entertainment-service use. See the college’s acceptable-use policy: www.delmar.edu/current-students/student-right-to-know/computer-and-network-use.html [delmar.edu]
- Students must remain in their vehicles and practice social distancing at all times.
- The college is currently under Phase 2 of its Return-to-Campus Plan, with restricted access to DMC facilities for designated employees and students. Restrooms are not available.
Individuals can also view online information about this service by visiting: https://delmar.edu/offices/cro/cv/public-wifi.html [delmar.edu].
