Printer jam

For all the cutting-edge technological prowess IU is claiming, it’s surprising how deficient the technology for everyday student use actually is. Buildings, classrooms and dorms are simply not equipped to meet current technology demands. \nDespite the push to go digital, most professors still demand that students print out all of their assignments. There is a feature on Oncourse that allows electronic submission of assignments, but very few professors actually use it. In the two years that I’ve been on campus, I’ve had only one professor who consistently required all assignments to be submitted via Oncourse. Most of my professors actually have a policy against students submitting electronic copies of their work.\nAs long as professors demand hard copies, students will demand printers, paper and the death of trees. Printers, however, are scarce on campus. Like matryoshka dolls, printers are tucked away in computer labs and the labs are tucked away in the least accessible parts of buildings. Some buildings don’t even have computer labs.\nHave you noticed that barely anyone uses the e-mail computer stations in the hallways? At the same time, there are such lengthy lines of students in Kelley, Ballantine and Woodburn, all waiting to get into the computer labs. Here’s a newsflash: Most students don’t use computers for e-mail. They use them to print out their assignments 10 minutes before they are due. What students really need are not more computer labs or e-mail stations. What students need are more printers.\nThe IU administration must either crack down on professors and make them keep up with the digital age, or IU President Michael McRobbie must get us all more printers. Forcible mandates from the top regarding teaching styles are likely to be met with opposition. Given that angry faculty were behind the ousting of former President Adam Herbert, the “additional printers” option seems more likely. \nThis is how I would suggest going ahead with new printers: There should be printing stations on every floor of every building, whether it is a dorm or classroom building. The printing stations should be located in places with the most traffic, even if that means several stations on one floor. As an added benefit, if one printer fails, which printers often do, there should be an alternative close by. This way, students will be able to have their stuff printed and ready for class on time. Students shouldn’t have to go out of their way to find the nearest computer lab, which may be in some secluded basement, and then have to wait for 15 minutes for the next computer. It’s a hassle, and it’s inefficient.\nWhile we are at it, how about extending wireless Internet access to the whole campus and then actually testing the system to make sure that no classes and dorms are located in wireless dead-spots? Especially in the dorms and the greek houses, students should be able to lounge outside their rooms with their laptops. They should not be caged in their rooms by the short leash of an Ethernet cable.\nIf IU wants to be a top-notch university, it needs to make technology more accessable.