ITS victim of budget cuts

Students in need of campus printing and computing services have two fewer labs at their disposal this year.

But unlike other universities that have closed their computer labs because they were underused, UNC made the decision to help campus cope with about $37.5 million in budget cuts.

“This was to the dismay of many of the students,” said Charlie Green, assistant vice chancellor for teaching and learning. “They came to rely on those labs.”

Although Information Technology Services shut down labs in the School of Law and the Health Sciences Library this summer, the five remaining labs are still heavily used, Green said.

ITS routinely evaluates the use of its labs as more and more of the campus community own laptops. According to lab log-in statistics compiled by ITS, computer labs had 76,543 total log-ins in September.

Green said he thought computer lab usage would decrease during the past few years as more students started using laptops, but this hasn’t been the case.

“Students need a place to work,” he said. “Sometimes dorms aren’t as peaceful. They come to rely on the labs as a place to go.”

Computer labs have printing stations and 17 to 68 computers that anyone with an Onyen can access. Students are allotted $40 to print each semester.

Senior Alexandra Anthony said although she has a laptop, she comes to an ITS computer lab three to four times a week.

Anthony, who usually goes to the lab in the Undergraduate Library or the Student Union, said going to an ITS lab is easier than carrying around her laptop.

“It’d be a lot more of a hassle to get work done if I didn’t have a computer at my beck and call,” she said. “I feel like I’d spend a lot more time at home and not on campus.”

She also said she liked the ease of printing at the ITS labs and working around people.

Underuse has been a problem for the University of Virginia, which is closing four of its five computer labs within the next two years.

According to the school’s Information Technology and Communication Web site, 95 percent of time at computer labs was spent on commodity or free programs that come on the students’ laptop computers.

Instead of computer labs, Virginia is looking into a more virtualized system with new connectivity options for laptops.

UNC is considering similar programs, including virtual labs that would allow students to access specialized software on their laptops.

UNC’s ITS is also trying to make computer labs more user-friendly. At any time, students can go online or on their smart phones and see how many seats are open in any computer lab on campus.

Green said ITS will continue to evaluate computer lab usage and tailor its programs to fit student need.

“We strive to provide the most efficient service we can for the students,” he said.



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.