ITD should serve students better, lower costly charges

By Partha Mukhodaphyay
Daily Editorial Page Writer

FILE PHOTO Angell Hall could well be the computing capital of campus. But rising fees imposed by the Information Technology Division continue to afflict students looking to do things as simple as printing term papers or dialing in with their modems.

The University's Information Technology Division boasts of the second-largest concentration of Macintosh computers in the world - behind only the Apple Corporation headquarters. When prospective students come to visit the University, a major selling point - right after the academics and athletics - is the technological wonders available to them, if only they enroll. Marched through the Fishbowl, they stop near the auditorium hallway, and behind them stretches the vast panorama of the Angell Hall Computing Center.

It's an impressive sight, and if they enroll, it's one students come to know all too well, with papers to write, the inevitable all-nighters and e-mail. To many, computer use becomes a dependancy, and more. As professors catch on to the technology now available, some bold teachers have begun using computers - from online conferencing to Web pages - as integral parts of their courses.

Whether the need arises from personal use or class necessity, many students absolutely depend on computers to get them through the day. And that's where the problems begin.

When ITD brags about the sheer number of machines available, they forget to mention one small detail: At any given time, many of those computers do not work. At peak computer use times - near midterms and finals - there are few things more frustrating than spotting an open computer station across Angell Hall and racing over only to find an "out of order" sign hanging on the monitor. At remote sites, some computers sit, broken and unused, for more than two years.

Even finding a working station does not guarantee success. Every month, money is allocated from tuition dollars to pay for computer accounts. Some is deducted for e-mail costs and services students choose to subscribe to. The rest remains for printing costs, which total eight cents per printed page . Just two years ago, printing costs were free.

As annoying, and far more frightening than the non-working computer is the last-minute print job canceled for lack of ITD funds at the end of a month. While it is possible to avoid this possibility by opening a self-funded account, most students decline due to the $25 minimum deposit required to open one.

Unfortunately, some students are forced to resort to this option, due to exorbitant dial-in costs charged by ITD. Students fortunate enough to own their own computers and printers may avoid the high printing charges at ITD sites, but they must pay dearly to connect to the University network during daytime and evening hours.

ITD can be an important ally in students' ever-increasing computer usage. However, right now it is a liability, due to its substandard service. Instead of misusing the funds allocated to it, ITD must become more efficient and responsive to students' needs.

09-03-97