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Monday, April 27, 2015
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Perspective
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Point/Counterpoint: printing subsidy
Faith Mellenthin | Northern Star
Blackboard should be alternative to printing
eliminated after this academic year, professors should plan on using Blackboard for their assignments so students won’t need to use the on-campus printers as often, if at all. Angela Pagan As a student who does a lot of Columnist writing for her majors, I can say Professors should start using this printing subsidy runs out fast Blackboard for all assignments when you are turning in at least since the printing subsidy will dis- one essay a week. Now that it appear after next academic year. won’t be available at all, I think it Students are currently given is on professors to help make this $7 for printing each semester transition easier. and will be allocated this for one Jared Vasquez, freshman more academic year. The deciengineering technologies and sion to keep the printing subsidy manufacturing major, said he was made a several weeks ago in prints at least two to three pages response to a resolution by the per week for papers. Student Association, said Chief “Not having that $7 is a disInformation Officer Brett Coryadvantage to us,” Vasquez said. ell. If the printing subsidy will be “The majority of stuff should be
turned in online but for papers I think we should be turning in hard copies no matter what just to have that record of it.” Professors should start embracing Blackboard even more. While some use it for all assignments and announcements, other professors do not use it at all. What is worse is some teachers are not even aware of the printing policy change, so they have made no changes to their requirements. “If my own printer isn’t working I rely on the printers around campus but if I don’t have money I don’t know what I’ll do,” said freshman accounting major Joseph Mendoza. “It’s definitely an inconvenience… . Teachers should make it so that we just turn stuff in online.”
Though all his teachers use Blackboard, Mendoza said three out of four of them require him to have hard copies of his work in addition to the online versions. Mendoza said he prints about five pages a week, which amounts to about $1.50 per month. Not all students can afford the convenience of having their own printer in their room and even if they do, ink for printers is not cheap. Now any time a student wants to print on campus it will have to come out of pocket. If the printing subsidy is going to be gone by the 2016-17 academic year, professors should prepare to use Blackboard for turning in assignments to take the burden of paying for printing off the students.
Printing should stay if it’s what students want Rachel Scaman Perspective Editor T @rachelmscaman
The printing subsidy, which allocates $7 to students every semester, should not be taken away after the next academic year. Students will be allocated the printing subsidy for one more academic year, said Chief Information Officer Brett Coryell. Students are allocated $7 per semester in printing for the current
academic year, which dropped from last year’s $14, and 2012-13’s $21. Students had unlimited free printing before fall 2012. The $150,000 to $250,000 that will be used to fund the printing subsidy was intended to pay for maintaining the computer labs next year since some computers are about 7 to 8 years old, Coryell said. While maintenance for the oncampus computers would be nice, it’s not what the students really need or want. The Student Association Senate created a survey in February in which senators gathered students’ opinions on what they feel money in the IT division should be used
for. The results showed students rely on the printing subsidy for their printed assignments. Junior finance major Latrice Tillis said she uses the printing subsidy every two weeks. She said she usually prints about 40 pages when she uses the on-campus printers. The university “can’t just take away something that is pretty much needed by everyone,” Tillis said. “You can’t just take away a huge necessity from students.” If students are in need of and want the printing subsidy, it should be kept and kept for more than one year. The printing subsidy gives students an advantage when it comes
to their school work. Students can access anywhere printing from many places on campus and it helps when students have to print out lengthy papers. Junior sociology major Margarita Palomares said some of her classes require her to print her notes before class. “It will be more expensive to buy ink and everything,” Palomares said. “Right now for my biology class I use [on-campus printing] two times per week for more than 11 pages.” Students are clearly in need of the printing subsidy so the money shouldn’t be used for anything else. Computer maintenance can wait.