Temple, by making some improvements around campus, raises important questions about whether or not the funds being spent could be better used elsewhere.
Why is money being spent on the new flat-screen televisions that have popped up around campus recently instead of rectifying the issues us students have with simply trying to print a paper?
For example, I can go to the computer labs in either Paley Library or Anderson Hall to try to print a paper or information that I need for class.
After I wait a good 10 minutes in line to get my printout, tear apart the individual papers without ripping it in half, take off the little strips of paper with holes in them and then fill in with a pencil the spots where the ink ran out, I ask myself why in the world does Temple not have better printers?
I would think that the fact that Temple was ranked No. 4 by Forbes.com as being one of the most wired campuses in the country would mean we have up-to-date technology.
The printers in those labs seem like they came from the 1980s. You can only be frustrated with the poor printers that Temple provides in the computer labs. Yes, many students can use their own computers and printers, but no one can deny the convenience Temple’s computer labs bring to students who don’t have the spare cash to invest in countless ink cartridges and printing paper.
Due to this fact, the new multi-million dollar Teaching, Education, Collaboration and Help Center is being built and will open in the spring semester to help solve these problems.
Sheri Stahler, associate vice president of Academic Computer Services, said that they were aware of these issues and knew something had to be done about it.
“The TECH Center will have new equipment and there will be no dot matrix printers, just laser printers,” Stahler said.
The lab in Paley Library will be closing next semester, but the lab in Anderson Hall, which is controlled by the Liberal Arts department, may still use the old printers this spring, Stahler said.
The four new flat-screen televisions in Johnson and Hardwick’s cafeteria are unnecesary. They sell for at least $3,000 a piece. Even if Temple got a deal and paid only $2,000 each for them, that’s still a total cost of $8,000. The money spent on this project easily could have had other uses.
Trying to improve the campus with flat-screen televisions in the cafeterias and in some of the lounges in the other buildings is fine, but these superficial improvements to campus ambience should not take priority over necessities that students need in order to progress academically.
Our tuition should be used for essentials that students can benefit from directly.
Royce Shockley can be reached at royce.shockley@temple.edu.
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