Departments should plan now for new area code

The area code for the University and the Hospitals will change from 312 to 773 on Oct. 12.

Staff members, faculty, deans and officers of the University should take responsibility to make this change on their stationery, business cards and publications, in telephone speed-calling lists and computer-modem dialing scripts and in information used on the Internet and anywhere else University phone numbers are listed, said Jonathan Kleinbard, Vice President for University News & Community Affairs.

If you are reordering letterhead stationery or business cards now, reduce the order and plan to order again for fall, when the change to 773 will occur, Kleinbard said.

Questions about the new area code may be directed to Networking, Telecommunications & Computer Operations at 702-9100. Printing Services, at 702-1999, also can be helpful in planning for the change and ordering new stationery, Kleinbard said.

The city of Chicago will be divided into two area codes, 312 and 773. The increasing demand for a variety of telecommunications services, including fax machines, cellular phone lines, pagers, voice mail and computer modems, has nearly exhausted the supply of telephone numbers in the city. Under the new area-code plan, the city will be geographically split into two areas; the Loop area will retain the 312 area code, and the "non-Loop" area, which includes Hyde Park, will change to the new 773 area code. All costs will stay the same.

To help implement the new area code, both new and old area codes will be in effect from Oct. 12, 1996, through Jan. 10, 1997. As of Jan. 11, 1997, all calls to the 773 area will have to be dialed with the correct area code.

To place calls from a 773 number to a 312 number, or vice versa, callers will need to dial 1 + area code + seven-digit number. As usual, calls placed within the same area code will require only the seven-digit telephone number.

Most wireless services, such as cellular phones and pagers, will not be required to change area codes. One exception to this will be the (312) 753-1880 telephone number used by faculty and staff members to access the University's paging system. This number will be changed to (773) 753-1880 on Oct. 12.

Questions about the new area code may be directed to Networking, Telecommunications & Computer Operations at 702-9100.