For the first time in FAMU history, the Student Government Association allocated $20,000 for students to print free copies in the Coleman Library until the end of the semester.
Students started to print and copy free of charge on Tuesday.
Student body vice president elect Breyon Love, 20, said his finance committee wanted to provide more services to students toward the end of the semester.
“If you go in the library now, there are always 20 people standing in line at the printers,” the second-year accounting student said.
Love, who is from Conyers, Ga. and finance chair and SGA, said the $20,000 has not been transferred to Coleman Library yet.
“It takes 60 days,” he said, but Love said negotiations allowed the initiative to still continue for the remainder of this semester until the summer.
Iman Sandifer, 19, a history education student and senate president-elect said, “Hopefully the supplies can carry over to the fall so that students can have free printing during their final times, but at this time that is tentative.”
Sandifer said the administration will publicize the initiative this week and the week of finals.
“There will be formal documents put up to publicize free printing and Facebook messages will be sent to inform student body of printing services,” he said. “The paper is a great service and this is a way for the student body to begin their trust in SGA again.”
In order to control this misuse of the free service, Sandifer said he is working with Lauren Sapp, the director of libraries.
“In order to control printing, we will get with Sapp and try to limit printing for each (student rattler) card,” he said.
Sapp said, “Students are being respectful of courtesy copies we are providing. We aren’t calling it free, its ‘courtesy copies’. We are very much appreciative to the help SGA provides for the libraries including: printing and copying, initiative input in library strategic plan and their participating focus groups as well as the Coleman showcase talent show.”
Freshman Ariel Chen, 18, an architecture student from Port St. Lucie, Fla., said, “I printed 12 free pages today. I think some people are taking advantage. I seen one girl printing notes and I thought to myself, would she do that on a regular day?”
Students said they are thankful for the initiative SGA made supply free printing services; especially during a time where many students are having to print final presentations and research papers.
“I’m very appreciative because I am consistently using my friend, Camille Freeman’s printer. I want to thank SGA because I don’t have money to print,” Chen said.
Jeremy Tillman, 20, a business administration student Tampa, said, “I didn’t know about free printing, but now that I do know, I will surely take advantage of it. I’m sure others don’t know either because they are probably putting their rattler cards in the machine thinking it will cost them. I think the $20,000 worth of printing will last till summer B.”
Some students said they doubt the free printing service will last until the fall.
“I have five papers due and a power point. I have printed over 25 pages,” said Christina Thornell, 19, a political science student from Chicago. “I think free printing will last two months maximum because it is getting out by word of mouth. I think if it’s free people take advantage, but its how you take advantage,” she said.
Sapp said students have used 13, 788 copies as of Wednesday, but she does not have the figures of prints.