Alyssa Arre, Photo Editor
In an effort to address student concerns about printer accessibility, the Students’ Association (SA) Senate launched an initiative to install printers in student residencies.
“People are bringing in fewer personal printers, so the demand for printing close by is rising,” Facilities Coordinator and junior Mehr Kashyap said.
The idea was the brainchild of the Senate, and Projects and Services Committee Chair and junior Harika Kunchala, who says that they have received a lot of enthusiastic student support since the start of the project.Both Residential Life (ResLife) and Information Technology (IT) are receptive to the idea, but some logistics may still need to be ironed out.
The printers will operate in the same manner as those found in the Rush Rhees Library. However, because these printers will be located in student dorms, Kashyap cited concerns about “who would take care of the printers and maintain them. But because we’re so early in the process, the first issue is finding areas to put the printers.”
Currently, the Committee has no definitive plans.
Their primary concern is to first install the printers in dorms located farther away from central campus, such as Jackson Court, Phase, and Southside.
“Ultimately, our hope is that we can get them in all the areas across campus, but what we want to do is start with the dorms that are further away with little access to printers,” Kashyap said.
If the initiative proves successful, more printers may be installed in areas such as Susan B. Anthony Hall, the Residential Quad, and possibly outside of Starbucks.
The committee’s next step is to verify with IT that there are locations in the target areas that can support printers.
Although the details are not set in stone, Kunchala says that the plan is to put one or two printers in each dorm at a central location, such as the first floor of O’Brien, which would be intended for use by residents of Jackson Court.
“We’ve been getting a lot of student support, and we’re really excited about it,” Kunchala said.
According to Kunchala, if all goes well, printers may begin appearing in dorms by the end of the semester.
Cowie-Haskell is a member of the class of 2016.
