UA seeks changes in U. computer lab policies

The Undergraduate Assembly passed a resolution over a week ago which recommends several changes for computer labs across campus. The proposed changes -- which will be formally presented to the Information Technology Steering Committee on March 8 -- would standardize computer equipment and lab practices across campus. IT Steering, as the committee is known, is responsible for reviewing and overseeing computing policies at the University. The proposal suggests that each computer lab on campus offer a combination of Macintosh and IBM-compatible computers, with each computer having an up-to-date copy of Microsoft Office, the Maple mathematics program and an Internet browser such as Netscape Navigator. The proposal also recommends that each facility provide a universal policy for payment on printing and scanning. The recommendations follow a survey the UA conducted last semester after the Wharton School decided to offer access to its computer labs only to students enrolled in Wharton classes. The UA Facilities Committee surveyed students to determine whether the remaining public computing facilities were sufficient to meet students' needs. Much to the UA's surprise, the survey found that students are, for the most part, satisfied with the computer facilities on campus. Still, the UA decided to go ahead with its recommendations. "The impact of the Wharton [computer lab] closing wasn't as big a deal as people thought it would be," said UA Facilities Committee Chairperson Theo LeCompte, an Engineering sophomore. "I was a little surprised." According to the students surveyed, Penn's computer labs are up-to-date and easy to use. The survey found that a majority of students know where to go for assistance with their personal computers and that 80 percent of students are satisfied with the public computing facilities offered by the University. The UA's recommendations are directed at improving customer service and anticipating future student demands on computer labs. The UA would like to see its recommendations implemented by the start of classes next fall. "The UA has done a lot of research on computing and these were the conclusions we came to," UA Chairperson and Wharton junior Bill Conway said. "We will work with the ISC to get them implemented." Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing Jim O'Donnell reacted positively to the UA's recommendations. He said ISC will meet with computer lab managers in the next few weeks to determine what they need to comply with the UA's recommendations. "[O'Donnell] has been really responsive," LeCompte said. "He's met with us and discussed our ideas and the possibilities for [achieving them]." LeCompte said that with the exception of the policy on printing and scanning, which differs depending on the facility, the University should have no difficulty meeting the UA's deadline. He expects a universal printing policy to materialize sometime during the next academic year, adding that a more definite timetable will be set after his presentation to IT Steering. The computing report has been the Facilities Committee's main project this year. LeCompte said the UA intends to put out a computing guide for next year's freshmen which would include a map with the locations of all public computer labs and information about the specifics -- such as number of printers and types of computers -- particular to each lab. The freshman computing guide is still in the preliminary stages.