California Educational Data Processing Association
	The DataBus - Vol. 36, No. 1 December, 1995-January, 1996

CSU/SprintLink on Campus

Sue Mangiapane, the GINA(tm) Project

The CSU/SprintLink on Campus Program is off to a great start with all of our scheduled implementation dates on target. The CSU/SprintLink on Campus Program will completely replace all existing CSU dial-up capability state-wide by the end of first quarter 1996. All existing capabilities will remain fully operational until a smooth transition has been achieved. Scheduled turn-down of the current "free" system is technically scheduled for June 96.

CSU/SprintLink on Campus, offering dial-up at $12.50 per month, includes

• 75 hours unrestricted dial-up time;
• Plus 90 hours (12am-6am);
• Additional hours 50¢ per hour;
• 28.8 modems;
• Guaranteed connection 95 times out of every 100 tries;
• Local authentication which offers validation of all users through every number available state-wide;
• Email featuring the choice of GINA with Netscape, or a Sprint Freeware Stack (email will be available for a nominal additional monthly fee);
• 24 hour, 7 day per week Help Desk; and
• Individualized billing with credit card, purchase order, check.

CSU additionally will continue to offer GINA/Coreplus accounts at $50 each per year for schools with a wide area connection, who may not be ready to implement an Internet Server at this time. GINA/Coreplus accounts are ideal considering the following example. A school connected to the District or County via 56K line, with 30 machines on their LAN, may purchase 30 accounts to be used from school all day over the wide area network connection. Then a few dial-up accounts may be purchased for teachers who occasionally want to use their accounts remotely, dialing in from home. Teachers who use their accounts from home all the time may want to purchase their own dial-in account. In these situation, we also offer space on the Coreplus server for a school newsgroup and a web page for the site.

Expansion of the Network Plans are still in progress. We have heard from many counties interested in using the CSU/SprintLink on Campus capabilities to serve remote calling areas outside the CSU Campus calling circle. CSU and Sprint will fully support that expansion, all we need are the details regarding your specific remote calling needs. Final CSU/SprintLink on Campus Contracts will be available December 1, 1995. Until that time, there is a draft version available to review the contract terms and conditions. Commitment on the part of the K-12 or Community College site is minimal:

• Support CSU/SprintLink for one year;
• Host a kiosk, or use data entry software for entering orders; and
• Make every effort to ensure those requesting services are members of your educational community.

We do the rest! Participation can be supplemental to your existing modem banks. We are not suggesting replacement of what may already work very well for you. We are extending a very strong partnership to K-12 and Community Colleges and would like to explore how we best fit into your existing Internet environment.

Current scheduled CSU/SprintLink on Campus implementation is as follows:

January    San Bernardino
                San Diego
                Long Beach
                San Francisco - including Hayward
                Chico
                Humboldt
                Sonoma - including Maritime Academy
                Stanislaus
                Los Angeles
                Northridge - including Ventura
February        Bakersfield
                San Marcos
                Pomona
                Sacramento
                Dominguez Hills
                Fullerton - including Mission Viejo

Remaining sites to be scheduled within 30 days. All current CSU dial-up locations will be covered. We expect to achieve full replacement of the CSU dial-up system by March 31, 1996. If you would like to have your county, district, or community college included in our expansion plans please contact Sue Mangiapane as soon as possible so that we can begin to work out details to include your goals in the coverage.

CSU/SprintLink does not involve exclusivity unless hardware is placed on your site. The plan at this point is to house most equipment at CSU locations, however as more users join the system, that model may change slightly, and some sites may be good candidates for mini-modem banks serving smaller remote populations. Other remote locations will be accommodated through FX lines, bringing dial-up traffic into the Internet via the larger CSU modem facilities.

We are very pleased with the work that Sprint, North Communications, and all of the CSU campuses are doing. This is a huge project and one that we are working very hard to make a great success and a win/win for education in the state of California. As with most large projects, details may change slightly, so your patience is appreciated. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the details of the program and how it may be beneficial to you, please contact me.

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