NO ONE likes service cuts. No surprise then that students huffed and puffed after the Information Technology and Communication office announced its plans to gradually phase out public computer labs from the University last week. But I was surprised when these emotive knee-jerk reactions did not quickly give way to rational policy critiques. Because if students were to make this transition, they would realize that ITC’s proposed changes were inconvenient but necessary in these tough economic times.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. And these are pretty desperate times for the University. It saw a 25 percent decline in its endowment in 2008 and faces three rounds of state budget cuts. To cope with this financial strain, University President John T. Casteen III announced in his state of the University address earlier this month that some projects and programs would have to be cut or placed on hold.
Public computing labs are a good place to start. Yes, I do enjoy the luxury of perusing them in between classes or the convenience of not having to lug my laptop to Grounds all the time. But in the face of financial adversity, University officials are (and ought to be) thinking about what is essential rather than what is comfortable.
Generally speaking, these computing labs are anything but essential. Roughly 99 percent of incoming students have a laptop – a consistent ITC statistic for the last four or five years. When students do use University desktops, Matt Ball, an Outreach and Student Services Librarian at Clemons, says that 85 percent of the time is spent on Firefox, Webmail, Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat. It doesn’t take a computer whiz to realize you don’t need public computing labs to access these widely available programs.
And that’s exactly what ITC surmised. If students are overwhelmingly using these labs to access ubiquitous programs they can easily get on their laptops, then what’s the point of having these labs? Better substitute bulky, space-hogging desktops with a few ultra-fast computer stations for printing and quick use, more laptop power outlets and new mobile seats to facilitate collaboration. Sure, that saves some bucks. But it also moves the University further into the laptop world, where power and mobility trump bulkiness and rigidity.
What exactly would this vision mean in practice? Michael McPherson, University associate vice president and deputy chief information officer, told me that it includes a hodgepodge of measures. Contrary to doomsday scenarios of a lab-free University, ITC plans to keep a “scaled-down version of current labs” for high end applications unavailable in most laptops, while common applications like Microsoft Office would be available for easy download and everywhere access. That seems pretty fair to me. The empty space would be filled in a very Clemon-esque way – with more power outlets, large monitors, a couple of printers and scanners, and re-configurable furniture.
Arguments against this policy change are fiery but don’t hold much water. Yes, this will mean that we have to carry our laptops on Grounds. But as one of the fittest universities in this nation, I am sure we can deal with it. I have a condition called recurrent shoulder dislocation which severely weakens my carrying capacity, and I manage just fine. You can do it too.
And what about the odd laptop malfunction or the odd student without a laptop? Well, one ought not to make policies based on exceptions. Instead, we need to figure out how to overcome them within the framework of the new policy. One example is renting laptops from the libraries, a service which is still available. Alternatively, the University can also try to deepen its program with Dell to provide more laptop scholarships for students.
The few regular readers of my column must be scratching their heads wondering how I would square this with my zero-tolerance classroom laptop use piece three weeks ago. But who says carrying laptops on Grounds automatically means you have to use them in class? You can still fit in a composition book or two without straining those arms of yours. Besides, even if it is more probable that students will utilize these annoying devices, there are ways to inhibit this effect. Most obviously, professors can be more vigilant about banning laptops, which is precisely what I suggested earlier.
So, I’m sure fellow students are furious about a luxury being wrested away from them by the claws of economic distress, no more than CEOs resent being able to buy those jets they crave. But at some point that whining must give way to the reality that it’s time to tighten our belts and focus on what we need rather than what we like. As McPherson aptly put it, “when forced by trying economic times to reduce service, we choose to reduce convenience rather than eliminate essential services.” This is the pragmatic attitude we ought to expect from our budget-strapped University: nothing more, nothing less.
Prashanth Parameswaran’s column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at p.parameswaran@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
KURTZWEIL: True financial aid must be transparent
By Paul Kurtzweil | 2 days agoThe implications and revelations of the lawsuit should inspire greater transparency at the University in order to ensure that financial aid is properly and equitably distributed.
SULLIVAN: Ramp up physical accessibility on Grounds
By Scarlett Sullivan | 4 days agoThe University must take responsibility for the inaccessibility of Grounds and work to promote accessibility for all students despite misguided laws.
EDITORIAL: Scapegoating students will not stop hazing
By Editorial Board | April 25, 2024Instead of retroactively responding to extreme hazing allegations, we, and especially the University, must begin asking more probing questions about the role of fraternal organizations on Grounds.
