Watching WatchFire waste space

Amanda Anderson

The Signal

Three new electronic signs were installed this summer, an update that cost an estimated $1.2 million and was covered by the utility surcharge fee paid in addition to tuition.

With 30-year-old hand placed letter signs still being used to communicate messages to the community, the university felt it was time to update the obsolete signs.

“When the university realized that the fee took in more than it needed, it asked the students what should be done with the money,” said Rebecca Smith, Student Government Association president. “The student body decided to purchase electronic signs to display campus information.”

The university requested bids from many companies before deciding on the Watchfire signs.

“As is customary with any state entity, the university had to put out a call for bids and then make the decision based on the bids turned in for consideration,” Smith said. The winning bid was WatchFire Media.

It took about eight months to get the signs, but they were delivered and set up quickly. The only problem is they did not work. There is one sign at Entrance #1 to the campus, and the other between the Bayou Building and the Student Services Classroom Building.

Many students thought it was faulty programming, but Daniel Wilson, director of planning, design and contract administration said that information was not true.

“Some special cables which connect the wireless transmitter to our computing system were found to be faulty and had to be replaced,” Wilson said. “That has been done, and the message, WatchFire, is just a default setting when the signs have no other messages programmed into the system, and the cables were replaced by the vendor.”

Wilson said the signs should be working as soon as the software is installed.

“Our technical people with University Computing say the transmitters and signs should be ready to start messaging,” Wilson said. “All that remains now is for the software to be installed on the PC’s of the designated users and for them to start programming their messages.”

The problems with the signs are being corrected by the facilities management and Construction team under Ward Martaindale, associate vice president for facilities, maintenance and construction.

“We should soon see the signs in operating order as the facilities management team is working on the issue,” Smith said.