California IN BRIEF : SAN MARCOS : Communication System Donated

Cal State San Marcos students may not have to leave their dorm rooms to turn in a class assignment or deliver an excuse to their professor. Under an agreement signed Monday, two telecommunications giants will donate $1 million in equipment and expertise to the fledgling university over the next three years. Pacific Bell and the Nashville, Tenn.-based Northern Telecom will provide the new university with state-of-the-art telecommunications equipment, including two-way interactive video stations, that will let professors see and talk with students in several classrooms at once. The university pitched its proposal for free technology and goods as a chance for companies to showcase their wares. “We said to them, ‘We don’t want you to tell us how much you are going to charge us, we want to know how much you are going to give us for the opportunity,’ ” university President Bill Stacy commented.