As part of its commitment to keep students globally connected, Le Moyne College has
acquired a new global Wi-Fi network called Edu roam.
As students and researchers become more and more mobile, there is a need for
colleges to provide secure access for campus visitors. In the past this has required the
use of guest accounts resulting in increased administrative costs. This new system
allows users to access the network without any additional support from the IT
department, eliminating additional costs to the college.
According to Bill Thieke, Director of IT at Le Moyne College, the system has been up
and running on the campus for almost two weeks. This new global network is replacing
Dolphin Secure, the old network. Bill Thieke reports that it is very similar to the old
network with one big addition: Edu roam is not limited to Le Moyne’s campus. This
network is accessible to thousands of institutions around the globe. According to the
announcement in The Dolphin, entering your full email along with your password will
enable you to connect to Wi-Fi at any of these institutions.
Thieke assures students there is no difference in terms of network security they are
accustomed to with Dolphin secure. “Dolphin secure is accessible for now, but it will be
completely discontinued in the spring semester,” reported Thieke.
This global network has been used by some of the LMC students who studied abroad
last spring.  Danica Durdines and Shannon Illes are two of those students who
experienced the use of Edu roam last semester. Both women reported that they
immediately connected to the Wi-Fi when they arrived back on the Le Moyne Campus.
Illes used this network when she studied in the Netherlands. She was skeptical at first.
Illes questioned, “Is this a good thing to be connected to such a large network or will
bigger schools using the network cause it to clog up?” After utilizing the network, Illes
skepticism faded and she experienced no problems with the system.
Durdines used the Edu roam network in Barcelona.  She expressed concern that her
connection was faster in Barcelona. She also stated, “Edu roam often doesn’t connect
to my phone.”  Danica says she likes the old LMC Wi-Fi network more than Edu roam.
Many students hardly noticed the change. Jess Miller, LMC student, stated that
everything seems the same with the new network. As a student that does not visit other
campuses and does not plan to travel abroad, she does not feel that Edu roam will

impact students like herself. Miller added, “I do appreciate the need to stay on the
cutting edge of new technology and am glad that Le Moyne is being proactive.”
As Dolphin Secure fades out and Edu roam increases in usage, Bill Thieke feels that
they will “see it’s a nice feature for us.” He points out that there are many essential
services the IT department provides to the college. Allowing visitors to use their college
credentials to access the network without IT support, will free the IT department up and
allow them to focus on other important tasks.