Spring Break
Editorial: Laptops are a luxury; keep campus computers
Editorial Board
Issue date: 9/22/08 Section: Opinions
Having that software is a luxury, but because Eastern is constantly praised for being so affordable, a luxury should not become mandatory - Eastern is not at the level of schools like Duke, Harvard, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana or University of Southern California.
Tidwell said much of the technology fees are used to upgrade classroom projectors, upgrade wireless Internet networks and installing smart boards into classrooms. He said those expenses keep increasing and restricting available funding for computer upgrades and maintenances.
"Other departments are probably going to follow suit depending on the discipline," Tidwell said. "I think the university is planning on getting down to four labs on campus to maintain."
There are 11 open labs on campus that have paid technicians monitoring the computers every hour of open lab and numerous departmental labs for class uses only such as three in the journalism department.
If proper research can show that upkeep of a designated number of computers is unnecessary because of declined usage, then remove them. Closing entire labs because of funding issues is not acceptable. If anything, completely stop buying smart boards because who cares if you can touch the wall or use the mouse at the computer which is often only 3 feet away from the board. Also, maybe not all of the classrooms need projectors in them.
Since all our fees keep going up anyway, reducing the unneeded expenses (smart boards and projectors) and a slight increase the technology fee could hold the university over until wireless Internet networks (one time expenses) are upgraded.
The laptop initiatives have good educational intentions behind them, but don't force the issue because the university has funding problems. Endorse the purchases, don't require them.
Tidwell said much of the technology fees are used to upgrade classroom projectors, upgrade wireless Internet networks and installing smart boards into classrooms. He said those expenses keep increasing and restricting available funding for computer upgrades and maintenances.
"Other departments are probably going to follow suit depending on the discipline," Tidwell said. "I think the university is planning on getting down to four labs on campus to maintain."
There are 11 open labs on campus that have paid technicians monitoring the computers every hour of open lab and numerous departmental labs for class uses only such as three in the journalism department.
If proper research can show that upkeep of a designated number of computers is unnecessary because of declined usage, then remove them. Closing entire labs because of funding issues is not acceptable. If anything, completely stop buying smart boards because who cares if you can touch the wall or use the mouse at the computer which is often only 3 feet away from the board. Also, maybe not all of the classrooms need projectors in them.
Since all our fees keep going up anyway, reducing the unneeded expenses (smart boards and projectors) and a slight increase the technology fee could hold the university over until wireless Internet networks (one time expenses) are upgraded.
The laptop initiatives have good educational intentions behind them, but don't force the issue because the university has funding problems. Endorse the purchases, don't require them.
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