Campus Connection

Four satellite dishes were removed from UW-L buildings on Friday, symbolizing another shifting tide in technology, says Terry Wirkus, distance learning coordinator at UW-L. The move comes on the heels of the Information Technology Services’ early June announcement that it would officially phase out VHS players. Director of Academic Technologies Jim Jorstad explained the large task ahead sorting through tens of thousands of hours of tape to decide what to archive digitally. Like the VHS players, the satellite dishes are now obsolete at UW-L. They no longer transmit the modern language programming for French and Spanish students or teaching workshops for faculty and staff. Today, these programs are viewed via the Internet, says Wirkus. The world still uses small, more easily hidden satellite dishes for TV and data, but the large bulk of information is transported through wired and wireless networks, says Jorstad. At UW-L, satellite dishes were deemed costly and inefficient compared to Internet, says Wirkus. Saying goodbye to satellite means removing an iconic piece of technology history, says Jorstad. He describes the traditional technology building with a satellite dish perched on top. Today, technology is more translucent. It’s inside the buildings where people work and play and not so visible, says Jorstad. "Today, technology pervades us — wherever we are located,” says Jorstad. “The Internet has transformed the way we get information and data.” Although the move was a logical step, it’s a bit sentimental to watch satellites go, says Wirkus who watched UW-L’s dishes go up about 15-20 years ago. “Jorstad and I saw these technologies come to UW-L and now they’re going away,” says Wirkus. “I guess it’s one more thing in the march of time.” The satellite dishes were removed from Graff Main Hall, Wing Technology Center and the Health Science Center. Watch a video of a crane moving the satellite dish from the top of Wing Technology Center