Faculty changes printing policy

Computer lab abuse by students in different colleges schools at Florida A&M University has resulted in the administration’s decision to change to a pay-to-print system, instead of the free printing privileges in some schools.

University faculty and administrators continually complain about computer labs being mistreated by students throughout the university.

“The students are printing on excess sheets of paper which results in less toner,” said Pat Ding, researcher of faculty for the School of Architecture.

The School of Journalism and Graphic Communication is the only school on campus that provides free printing to its students.

However, sustained abuse in its seven computers labs, not including The Famuan or Journey magazine, has caused the free printing privilege to be taken away.

Faculty and administration in SJGC have identified the abuse as students printing in large amounts, printing then leaving the paper at the printer, pressing the print button more times than necessary and inviting non-journalism students to print for free. All of this has caused a change in how printing will be done from now on.

“Pay to print,” said James Stephens, adviser of The Famuan and journalism professor.

“I run more SBI students out the computer labs than journalism students. I think there should be keycards just for journalism students so they can print,” Stephens said.

Technical Administrator Thivin Lanh presented documents that provided the amount of sheets each office uses.

The Journalism Resource Center has used 4,300 pages of paper so far this year.

Computer labs in rooms 3133 and 3132 in SJGC have used a combined amount of 29,000 sheets so far this year.

In the School of Architecture, the printing options are the same as Coleman Library.

“Architecture uses a larger output and currently can’t afford free printing. The output for higher quality printing would be to go to Kinko’s,” Ding said.

“We provide the plotter (a machine that prints large sheets of paper that takes command from a computer), but the student must provide paper and toner. We used to have the free printing here a few years ago, but there was no accountability to mishaps,” Ding continued.

Other labs in the College of Engineering and Coleman Library use accountability for the printing.

The College of Engineering uses recycled paper for students to print. Students that need to print homework bring a ream, which consists of 500 sheets of paper, and use that until the ream is done.Coleman Library’s procedure for printing is for students to use the Rattler card at the printing station, which costs 10 cents per page.

The JRC librarian, Gloria Woody, said the systems department is setting up a print station in the JRC for students to use the Rattler card to pay to print.

“The computer lab is only supposed to be for SJGC students. The library is for research and the use of the Internet,” Woody said.

“It’s our students that contribute to the problem as well. We had a color printer, but after the first semester we removed it because of the abuse it was taking,” Woody explained.James Hawkins, SJGC dean, gave his synopsis of the printing problem.

“Carpet baggers are using the resources. They are taking advantage of what we have to offer,” Hawkins said.

“There is a software that requires the ID of a student to print and also will provide a quota for the student. We need to test it and want it installed before the spring of 2006.” Hawkins said.