Telecommunications

Telecommunications Information and Instructions

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• Dialing Instructions

  • Calling On Campus: To reach another phone on campus, dial the four-digit extension.
  • Calling Off Campus: To make a local call, dial 9 + telephone number.
  • Long-Distance Dialing: To dial a long distance call, dial 9 + 1 + area code + a four-digit long distance access code. Staff or faculty should contact their supervisor or office administrator for the appropriate long distance access code. Students with phone service should have received their long-distance code upon arrival. contact the Help Desk (helpdesk@bennington.edu or x4476) with any questions about the long-distance code.
  • Personal Long-Distance Dialing: Staff and faculty may apply for a long-distance access code for any personal calls they may make from campus. If desired, please complete the Application for Long Distance Service and return to contact the Help Desk (helpdesk@bennington.edu) for processing.
  • Toll-Free Dialing: To dial a toll-free call, dial 9 + 1 + area code + telephone number + long distance access code (where needed). Although a long distance code is required in student housing, there is no charge for toll-free calls. The long distance code is not needed in administrative offices.
  • International Dialing: To dial an international call, dial 9 + 011 + country code + city code + telephone number (wait for prompt), then dial the long distance access code.

• Students switching from "A" to "B" in a double room

  When you are given a housing assignment, you are assigned to either the A or B side of the room. The telephones are labeled either A or B, so you can determine which side of the room you are assigned to by the location of your telephone.

  • If you and your roommate choose to switch sides of the room, the Telecommunications Office considers this a room change you must notify the Student Life Office. Once notification takes place, your voicemail account will be reset. Your greeting and any messages at your old extension will be deleted and you will need to activate your new voicemail account.
  • The Directory Assistance line (8888) and the Online Directory will be updated to reflect your new residence and telephone number. Please note that your long distance access code does not change.

• Staff switching offices

  Staff need to notify the Help Desk in advance of any moves.

• Directory Assistance

  In addition to the web directory for on-campus extensions, the College also provides a Directory Assistance telephone line for on-campus extensions. Dial 8888 from anywhere on campus, input the first four letters of the last name of the person you are trying to reach and respond to the prompts to be connected to the caller.

• Voicemail Instructions

  The initial password is the extension plus 0, followed by the # sign for staff/faculty, and 1 followed by the # sign for students. Students are prompted to choose a new password when they first login to the system.

  To record a personal greeting:

  • Press 3 to administer personal greetings. The personal greeting is what callers will hear when the phone is not answered. Press 3.
  • Press 1 to record a greeting.
  • Record the greeting at the tone. When the recording is completed, press # to approve or 1 to edit the message.
  • To approve the personal greeting for all calls, press #2. To re-record, press 1. To listen to the recorded greeting, press 1, 2, then 3. To delete the greeting and record it again, press #2.
  • Hang up. The personal greeting should be recorded and activated.

  To access voicemail from the extension:

  • The message waiting light will blink when there is a message.
  • Dial 7766 from the extension. The system asks for the password.
  • Enter the password followed by the # sign.
  • The system will advise of the number of new messages you have.
  • Press 2 to get messages.
  • For each new message, the system will give the name of the caller, the time and date the call came in, the length of the message, and the phone number or extension from which the call came. Press 0 to listen to each message.
  • After each message, press *3 to delete it or press # to skip to the next message. The previous message will not have been deleted and will stay in your mailbox. Messages that are 10 days old are automatically deleted by the system.
  • When you are finished getting your messages, hang up.

  To access voicemail from another extension or from off campus:

  • From another extension, dial 7766 and press *# when connected. (Note: If the other extension does not have a voicemail account, it is only necessary to press #, not *#. Hall phones are an example.)
  • From off campus, dial 442-7766 and press # when asked if you have a mailbox on this system. The system will then prompt you for the mailbox number. Enter the extension.
  • Enter your password followed by the # sign.
  • The system will state the number of new messages.
  • Press 2 to get messages.
  • For each new message, the system will give the name of the caller, the time and date the call came in, the length of the message, and the extension from which the call came. Press 0 to listen to each message.
  • After each message, press *3 to delete it or press # to skip to the next message. Skipping to the next message will leave the message in the mailbox. If you skip to the next message, the previous message will not have been deleted and will stay in your mailbox. Messages that are 10 days old are automatically deleted by the system.
  • Hangup after getting messages.

  To change your password:

  • Login to the voicemail account, press 5 then 4.
  • Enter the new password, followed by the # sign. Re-enter the password, followed by the # sign.

  Re-recording your name: The name on the system may be re-recorded.. To do so, login to the voicemail account and press 5 and press 5 again. At the tone, speak the name, preferably first name then last name. When finished recording the name, press 1. The system will then play the recording. Press 1 to record it again or # to approve the name as recorded.

• System Features

  Redial: When you want to redial the last number you called, pick up the receiver or press speaker and dial 78. This code will automatically redial the last number you called.

  Transfer/Conference:

  • You can transfer a call to any other party on campus. To do so, place the caller on "soft hold" by pressing the FLASH button or switchhook on your telephone. For a multi-line phone press the TRANSFER button. You will then hear four tones. Dial the extension of the party to whom you wish to transfer the call.
  • You can hang up and the call will be transferred or you can remain on the line to announce the caller and then hang up. For a multi-line phone press the TRANSFER button a second time to release the call. Then, if you press FLASH or the switchhook again or the TRANSFER button, all three of you will be conferenced together.
  • You can also transfer directly to voice mail. To do so, press the FLASH button or switch hook. For a multi-line phone press the TRANSFER button. Dial 8300 and when prompted enter the extension. Hang up or if you have a multi-line phone hit the TRANSFER button to complete the transfer.

  Leave a voicemail message without ringing the extension: Dial 8300 then input the party's four-digit extension. You will be directed immediately to their voicemail.

  To skip through the voicemail greeting: When you hear the party's voicemail greeting begin, press 1. You will immediately hear the tone and can then record your message. Keep in mind that sometimes there is important information in the voicemail greeting that should be heard, such as notices regarding vacation or extended absences.

  To ensure that you hang up: Make sure you disconnect the line between outgoing calls. If you momentarily press the switchhook, you will not disconnect your call. You will be putting that call on hold. Then if you place another call, the first call will remain on hold the entire time and you will be charged for TWO calls instead of one. So hold the switchhook down firmly for at least three seconds between calls and save yourself unnecessary phone charges.

• Student Telephone Service Terms and Conditions

  • Bennington College's Telephone Service includes your own telephone, a direct line to your room, free local and campus dialing, a private voicemail account, and long distance access. The cost of this service for students is $50 for the entire term, which will be charged to their student account.
  • You are responsible for the telephone equipment assigned to you. Please do not remove the telephone from your room, transfer the telephone to another jack, or deface the telephone in any way. Take a moment now to make sure your telephone equipment is in order. If anything is missing or there is any damage to the phone, handset, faceplate, instructions, label, or cords, please contact the Help Desk (helpdesk@bennington.edu or x4476) immediately. If the telephone is not in place or is damaged or defaced at the end of the term, you will be charged a fee for damaged or missing equipment.

• Use of your long distance access code for students, faculty, or staff...

  Indicates acceptance of the following:

  • You agree to pay bills for long distance usage promptly.
  • Each account will be billed monthly with payment due by the end of the month.
  • Balances not paid on time will incur a 7.5% late fee.
  • Delinquent balances will be placed on your student account and are subject to all the terms and conditions that apply to student accounts.
  • Your credit limit will be $250 per term. You will be notified when your balance reaches your credit limit. Payment to reduce the balance below the credit limit must be received within 48 hours of notification in order to continue service.
  • You are responsible for all long distance calls charged to your access code. It is your responsibility to protect your code and not allow the use of that code by anyone but yourself.
  • Third party billing and acceptance of collect calls are not permitted.
  • Any accidental or intentional use of any access code other than your own will result in a process fee for each call made plus the actual cost of the call. Where intentional misuse occurs, the offender will be referred to the Office of Student Life, or the Human Resources Office, for disciplinary action.

• Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is my campus extension? Your campus extension is the last four digits of your telephone number. Your telephone number is also noted on the front of your telephone.
  • Why can’t I access my voicemail? There could be several reasons. First, make sure you are dialing the correct access number and the correct password. If you enter an incorrect password three times, the system will lock you out. This is a security feature to prevent others from accessing your private voicemail. If you are locked out of your voicemail, when you attempt to login you will be told to contact the Help Desk (helpdesk@bennington.edu or x4476). If you are calling after hours, leave a message including your name and your extension. The system administrator will unlock your mailbox as soon as possible.
  • Why does my phone half rings and then goes straight to my voicemail? If your phone half rings and then goes straight to voicemail, pick up your receiver and press #3.
  • Can I un-delete a voicemail message? Yes, you can un-delete the last message you deleted as long as you have not yet disconnected. Simply press **U while you are still logged in to your voicemail account to retrieve the last message you deleted.