The University will institute a new emergency phone system later this semester, a police services officer said last night at an Association of Residence Hall Students meeting.

Students living on-campus will soon have to dial different numbers to reach the police, fire department or ambulance services, said Officer Ellen Aschenbrenner.

Under the current system, on-campus students requiring emergency assistance can dial 110, the University's equivalent of 911, Aschenbrenner said. However, the 110 number does not tell the operator where the call is coming from, she said.

Students with less urgent questions or requests can dial 863-1111, she added.

But the new system, which is tentatively scheduled to be installed over Spring Break, will allow people on campus to dial the familiar 911 number in case of an emergency, she said. The 863-1111 number will still be in operation, she added.

On-campus students will also have to dial 8 instead of 9 before making off-campus calls, she said.

Although it will not show the caller's address, the new 911 number will display the phone number of the caller, Aschenbrenner said.

Possibly through computer printouts, she said, the operator will be able to determine the caller's address, facilitating the police if callers are unable to communicate their location or condition.

"I think it's a long time in coming," she said.

Representatives at the meeting also anticipated the new system.

"It's a good idea, because (911) is a number we've all known since we've been little," said Susan Williams, assistant director of the Residence Hall Advisory Board.

Aschenbrenner speculated that the University decided to change the phone system because the borough recently upgraded their communication systems.