Back in my day when the dorms had centrex we had no choice over the supplier, it was one phone company. The phone (in our dorms) was black 554 wall mounted which the company provided. Certainly better than using the hall phone, but still not optimum comfort.
In looking back, it's weird how much we worried about things like measured service and toll charges when today so much is either unlimited or of very modest cost. Many cell phones today, if not totally unlimited, have generous packages and national free calling, although there are pay-as-you-go plans that are limited and intended more for emergency use, not gabfests.
I wonder what the percentage of cell phone ownership today is among college students, probably pretty close to 100%. I wonder what the reason is for the very kids who didn't have a cell phone. I would suspect a fair number of kids have limited cheap plans due to budget needs.