Students returning to the dorms after Spring Break will need to dial an "8" instead of a "9" to reach off-campus phone numbers and will still be able to dial the familiar 911 in case of an emergency.

The new phone system will go into effect at 5:30 p.m. Friday March 2, Tom Harmon, director of University Police Services, said yesterday.

Besides calling 911 to reach emergency, fire, police or ambulance services, police services dispatchers will also have new display phones which automatically reveal the location of emergency calls, Harmon said.

The University decided to change the number in response to a nationwide movement to standardize access to an emergency number, Harmon said.

The current on-campus emergency number "110" will no longer be in service after March 2. However, routine questions and requests can still be made by contacting University Police Services at 863-1111.

"I'm glad it's now 911, because I would have died if I had to call the cops in a hurry," said Aaron Homjak (sophomore-metal science and engineering).

Homjak said cards informing students of the approaching changes and instructions were found in residents' mailboxes last weekend.

Robyn Walls, USG Department of Safety director, said the changes were part of Undergraduate Student Government President Janyne Althaus' campaign platform to improve on-campus safety.

When USG presented the suggestion for a 911 number, University administrators said they had already starting working on it, Walls said. USG simply reinforced student interest in the change, she added.