LETTER: Printing protests

Dear members of the Boston University Student Union,

Over the past summer and this fall I have heard from many of you regarding your concerns relating to the university’s changes in both print quota and computer lab structure. As constituents and customers of the university, we have a right to be heard and have our say and consideration regarding issues pertaining to our interests as students. I appreciate your comments as I have heard them be it through email, phone call or face-to-face discussion, and would like to share my point of view on the situation. Print quota (and, even further, the lack of a 24-hour lab) is a serious concern that the Student Union, as your representatives, has been involved in since we knew about the situation. Unfortunately, this involvement is not easy or facilitated.

As you may know, a resolution was passed to help protect students’ computing rights as soon as we heard of the situation at all. This resolution sought to ensure access to the technology necessary to your success as a student at BU. It was passed in a place in time where the student body had only heard of rumors of possibilities (such as the computer labs being removed). As you may recall, a significant upset happened in everyday life, as students demanded the right to know more. Unfortunately, the farthest we actually came was the creation of that resolution and its receipt by President Robert Brown, an article in BU Today, and some visits by administration to some student leader meetings, excluding the Student Union, to discuss the issue.

Over the summer, we did continue to discuss the issue with the Dean of Students Office, but by and far were kept out of having a say in the decision process, and were kept in the dark about the terms. Dean Kenneth Elmore did let us know ahead of time that changes were being made, that the labs were being centralized and that there would be some sort of pay-to-print system. While there are both negatives and positives involved with this, we felt it was reasonable given that we have been wasting millions of dollars in printing in past years, and that it was a situation similar to other universities.

Today, I will be meeting with the Vice President of Information Technology to discuss both print quota and the lack of a 24- hour lab, among other things. I will be advocating for an expansion of the print quota, and for a more detailed explanation of the situation so that students can better understand the nature of the decisions being made. We do pay a huge tuition, and during a year of a tuition increase, we are seeing services decrease below a competitive level. Northeastern University currently receives 400 pages a semester with additional pages sold at 10 cents a page, even though students there pay a lower tuition rate. New York University currently has an unlimited print quota, despite paying a similar tuition level. Fedex Kinkos charges only 10 cents per page to print, which is obviously more than competitive with the rate BU is providing. Similarly, I will also be advocating for a 24-hour computer lab, as both Northeastern and NYU, among other schools, also have one.

We are doing what we can. We do feel your pain as well, as we are students and we stand with you on these issues. But, when it comes down to it, we can’t do it alone. Every one of us, as students of BU, has a right to stand up, be heard and to know what is happening in our university. We have to express that right in order to be heard. If you are upset about the print quota, stand beside me and meet with administrators to be heard, write to staff to make the point known and stand up and demonstrate that you are a constituent of this university and that you have a say in what happens here. I would also encourage that you demand your representatives be kept in a place to know what decisions are being made, while they are being made. One of the proposals I have presented to the administration, President Brown and Dean of Students over the summer is that the Student Union President should sit on the University Council, so that students are better informed and have a voice on current issues. Thus, students might not be left so much in the dark, and we as students can better understand and help decide regarding important economic decisions.

Please feel free to contact myself, or any member of the Student Union, to find out about what is happening, how to get involved and be heard and to help make a difference. We are reachable via union@bu.edu, your college government associations, your residence hall associations and individual representation. I am reachable at jmsapp@bu.edu, and 813-241-7165. Every little effort helps contribute to make a big difference.

Sincerely,

James Sappenfield

President, Student Union

Boston University