When I opened my MacBook last week to see four long cracks on the screen, my heart sank.
It was a gut-wrenching, horrifying feeling that caused a million questions to pop into my head. Did I cause this? Will it get worse? Does my warranty cover the damage?
When I found out it would cost $200 to fix my laptop, I was relieved. I could afford it. What I wasn’t sure I could afford, however, were the two weeks it would take for it to get fixed.
Since I sent in my computer, I’ve had a difficult time coming up with a way to complete homework the way I have my entire college career. Instead of allowing myself an entire night to complete the work ahead of me, I’d have to consider public computer availability and lab hours.
As a student who lives on the Tempe campus, I quickly became surprised just how difficult this was. The computer lab at Barrett, The Honors College, where I live, is only open until 10 p.m. on weekdays — something I quickly knew wouldn’t work for me. My only other option was the Computing Commons or Hayden Library.
And after midnight, I was out of luck. If I didn’t have all of my homework completed by then, I’d have to wake up by 7 a.m. and make my way back to the library.
Many students work, take classes late, or have other commitments. Staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. is not uncommon among college students. Why, then, does the University cut hours of essential services, like access to computers or dining halls?
To its credit, ASU does allow campus convenience stores to stay open until 1 am, which fulfills a need for hungry students late at night. What it fails to do, however, is provide computing services to students who need them late and don’t have access to their own.
The past week has enlightened me as to just how difficult life would be if I didn’t have access to my own computer. No more checking e-mails right before class to see if the professor added any new information, no more all-nighters. I currently cannot function how I need to in order to get my work finished.
The downtown Phoenix campus recognized the technological needs of its students when the residence hall was built in 2008. On every other floor of Taylor Place are two, fully equipped computers that are available for resident use 24/7.
Understandably, the University probably does not have room in its budget to staff the library for those 7 hours in the middle of the night. But, that does not mean it cannot provide computer access to students living on campus if they need it.
As ASU continues to add more online classes, as well as courses that require Blackboard, they need to recognize that computers are not something that every person will possess all of the time. Like any other technology, they break. They are expensive. Things go wrong.
Nicole is rushing to finish her homework at Hayden Library. Help her at ndgilber@asu.edu
