Thus far this year, computer problems have increased at sites. Last year, ITD received 30 problem reports per day out of 1,350 computers. This year, the complaints have increased to 50 per day. Liz Salley, the Operations Manager for Campus Computing Sites, said the number of complaints has increased this year because of "aging" equipment, not enough funding and the hiring of new technicians.
Salley said ITD closed its Computer Service and Repair Center last summer because of inadequate funding. The center had helped repair most of the University's computers. Many of its employees are no longer with the University, Salley said, and ITD has hired new employees.
Currently, the University's general fund is the major funding source for ITD. The University should consider increasing the division's funding. Finding new funding for any of the University's divisions is never an easy task; however, ITD provides a service that directly impacts student life.
The cost of personal computers is expensive - roughly $1,600 to $2,000 for an adequate system. Many students cannot afford such an expense. Instead, computers should be available to them. Moreover, due to the increase of broken computers, students often have to traipse over campus - sometimes late at night - to find a working computer.
Another problem is the chaos in the Angell Hall site. Salley said the University has abandoned its old waitlist policy because it was inefficient. She said students often steal their waitlist numbers or give them to friends who have not waited in line. Instead, the University will use flags or markers to denote open computers.
Salley said two employees will roam the computer site, keeping watch over what computers are empty and trying to control the crowd. This program is expected to start in the next few weeks, once the University gets its supplies.
However, the new policy may cause more confusion than before. The site will need more than two employees to patrol it. Plus, the new policy eliminates the first-come, first-serve policy, which is more fair. Moreover, the two employees would be more useful if they worked with students on computer problems, rather than policing the area - this would be time better spent. The old system was imperfect, but it presented more order than the new one could.
Many students, particularly those who held temporary University jobs over the summer, found their X.500 entries deleted or badly distorted during the first week or two of school. While the mix-up was annoying, ITD deserves credit for quickly repairing the system and restoring correct information to the X.500 directories.
Midterms are approaching and students will need easy and quick access to computers. Despite a lack of funding, ITD appears to be working hard to repair broken computers. In the meantime, ITD should reinstate the waitlist policy in Angell Hall to ensure more fair - and less chaotic -usage of computers.