“100 pages?! Are you kidding me?!”
“Well, yeah, but I mean they’re giving us 200 new computers in Mugar.”
“And you can print from anywhere on campus, you know, with the network.”
“I don’t care if I can print from South Africa. It doesn’t matter since I’ll be using up my print quota in the first week of school.”
“Well maybe you should think before you just go printing everything.”
“Yeah, I think that might be kind of the point. Be greener, think before you print, eat granola and worship moss…no, just kidding.”
This is an abridged version of this morning’s “water cooler talk” here in the Dean of Students Office. Dean Elmore shared a BU Today article with us that adresses the new printing policies for undergraduate, graduate, and law students (med students won’t be affected just yet). And so the heated debate began…
How else am I supposed to print my work and readings? Is this really all that green since they’re asking students to waste energy on printers? And on that note, is it appropriate to be asking students to bring printers to campus and, in turn, computers, when BU’s costs are already rising?
Some of our staff is optimistic. Or at least accommodating. Bryan, one of our Program Assistants here at DOS, said simply, “I’ve always hated reading on computer screens so I print almost everything. I suppose with the new printing policy now is the time to kick that habit.”
Laurel, another DOS Program Assistant, is so full of opinions that she is currently writing a dissertation on the changing Boston University printing policies and their consequences, which will be posted shortly.
I, for one, have mixed opinons. I am irked by some of the statements coming from information systems and technology. I don’t believe most BU students own a printer, and I certainly don’t believe they should be expected to buy one. Laurel delves more deeply into issues of print quality, ink cost, and more, so I’ll leave that to her. Still, I have to say, having a printer in your room implies having a computer in your room, as does getting rid of all of the ResNet labs. As a friend of mine said, this step is making BU even less accessible for those without abundant finances. Secondly, I want to know what’s being done to make on-screen reading easier and more accessible. I have professors that scan readings in every which way–so is it cool then when I turn one of the new Mugar computers on its side so that I can read a badly scanned article? Probably not. Lastly, I think, considering how sensitive this issue (already) is on campus, BU really needs to make a significant effort to explain how to set up printing from their personal computers, how to check their print quotas, how to extend their print quotas, etc. This is a big transition, and I support the green awareness that it is raising on campus, but inconvenience quickly causes people to lose their greenthusiasm.
So maybe it seems like we’re complaining a lot. Well, keep in mind, we’re students. We’re the ones that write more than 100 pages of text a semester, let alone read. We’re concerned about money and convenience, about buying printers and ink cartridges, about what it means to sacrifice what is easy for what is green. BU Is absolutely right to want to reduce its paper trail, and I can say with confidence that all of us are behind that. I can also say that we’re incredibly appreciative of the changes made to Mugar. I can’t wait to have a computer hub in a convenient location, not to mention all the printing, copying, and scanning services that will be provided there. I’m excited to see how mail rooms work as print centers, and hopefully it will be super convenient to stop by the mail room to pick up your paper on the way to class.
Plus, who knows? Maybe this transition really will make BU students think twice before they waste paper on printing. Its already making us think here at DOS. Maybe they’ll consider the paper trail and choose to read online instead. Maybe professors will make a distinct effort to go paperless for their students. Maybe we’ll all learn to be a little greener, and to think before we print.
terrier love,
Celie
