A need for more phone numbers on campus and confusion about on- and off-campus numbers led to a new phone number prefix at Iowa State, said the director of telecommunications.

ISU started using the 572 prefix this summer to replace many of the 296 phone numbers on campus. John Kinglund, director of telecommunications, said the university was running out of telephone numbers available to it for expansion.

Willow, Larch, Helser and all of Towers switched to the 572 prefix at the end of the spring semester. Kinglund said the rest of the residence halls will switch over next summer. The University Student Apartment Community is also gradually switching to new phone numbers.

“USAC is being changed as the residents move out, and when new residents move in,” Kinglund said. “The [residents] that are there keep their same numbers.”

When the university was running short on phone numbers and needed to open a new extension, they decided to switch all residences to the same prefix to eliminate some of the confusion of having both on- and off-campus numbers that began with the 296 prefix, Kinglund said.

“There has been confusion with some 296 numbers being used throughout the city of Ames and also 296 numbers being used for student residences,” Kinglund said. “People were confused whether to dial five numbers or seven numbers.”

Kinglund said the decision to open the new exchange and switch only on-campus student residences was made jointly by telecommunications and the department of residence.

“After [next summer], all student residences will be 572,” Kinglund said. “There will be no 572s anywhere else in the city.”