Thousands use the services of the center daily, Monday through Saturday. The center houses 330 student-accessible computers. OCC's computers are linked by 60 miles of fiber cabling installed three years ago across the 164-acre campus. All buildings are linked to the network. Orange Coast's director of college support services, Leo R. La Jeunesse, says fiber cabling is far superior to copper wire systems found on many campuses.
Copper can overheat and burn, and is relatively unreliable.
Fiber is the optimal transmission conduit. It provides a high capability signal, and is also a high-security system. It's invulnerable to signal tapping. Back in the 1960s, OCC was a national innovator in computer technology. In the '60s, OCC's Computer Department grew from first generation computers through second and third generation mainframes.