September 1998
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From the Director
By Roberta Lembke
Student Computer Access Greatly Improved
A number of significant changes were made to the student and department computing labs over the summer. The students were greeted with updated computers in each of the residence hall computing labs. There is a total of 97 computers in the ten residence halls. Each residence hall received upgraded Pentium PC's and updated Macintoshes (mostly Power Macs).
In addition, the mix of Macintosh to PC's was modified to better meet the growing demand for Windows 95-based computers. All of the residence hall lab computers were equipped with MS Office, Telnet/Tera Term, Netscape, and a host of other applications.
The academic building public computing labs were also upgraded. The Library Computing Den (Rolvaag 115), a favorite of students, now has 18 Pentium PC's, 14 G3 Power Macs, and a new duplex (double-side) laser printer. Science Center 146, Holland Hall 407, and Rolvaag 134A also received new equipment. (The equipment pulled from these locations was reallocated to the residence hall computing labs.)
Several of the student computer lab laser printers were replaced with new HP 4000 printers that are capable of printing on both sides of the paper.
While not completed in time for the start of the academic year, students soon will find two new locations for web browsing and e-mail checking. For years, students have complained about the lack of access to computers for checking e-mail in Christiansen Hall of Music. During the summer, the networking of this building gave us the opportunity to eventually set up four computers (two in the lobby by Urness and two outside the second floor practice rooms) specifically for students to check their e-mail. Another site we expect will be popular is the Pause. Six older computers (a mix of Macs and PC's) will be installed and networked in the Pause.
Laser Printer Output for Students
St. Olaf does not currently charge students who use the laser printers located in the public labs. We are investigating and, in some cases, implementing ways to reduce the cost of providing this service.
This summer we have begun to upgrade the public printers to duplex printers. These new duplex printers will be set to print on both sides of the paper, thus reducing the amount of paper consumed (and wasted). We recognize that this directly impacts the faculty, as they will need to read and correct double-sided papers and assignments. We hope that the community will view this change of service as a positive step, one that conserves college resources while at the same time being good for the environment. We understand that in some cases the students will need single-sided output; we are prepared to provide that service when absolutely necessary.
As always, we ask that faculty inform students that they should print only one copy of their papers. If students are required to submit more than one copy of their work, they should be told to use a copy machine to duplicate the necessary number of copies.