Although fliers posted around the ASU East Computing Commons are informing students that they will be charged for printing starting this fall, the debate is still on in the Information Technology East Department as to whether it will happen in the fall or be postponed until spring.
Bert Valenzuela, the technology support analyst principal, said the technology department is "still debating when to start charging." Valenzuela said he is not willing to start charging students until the UniPrint System is tested.
If all goes well, Valenzuela will program the system to collect 5 cents per printed side beginning in spring 2004.
In the first part of October, students will begin using their ASU ID cards to print any material for free, according to the technology department.
"This will give everyone using the system a chance to work through the process so when we do start charging, we will have a smooth implementation," Valenzuela.
Several factors contribute to the decision to charge for printing: professors requiring so much material to be printed, students choosing to print material rather than reading it online and students hitting "print" and walking away if they're in a hurry, leaving their material in the print tray.
Technology support analyst associate Zach Chamberlin said there was a ton of waste.
Kati Weingartner, director of the information and technology department, said many students choose to print out their syllabi or any information or research instructors require for their courses, rather than read the information online. Valenzuela said there was a "nearly physical confrontation" between students because one student was printing 100 pages and the other had to wait just to print one page.
"That was the turning point for me," Valenzuela said. "Something had to be done."
The Purchasing Department approved the UniPrint System because it best fit the needs of the university said Valenzuela. The system cost $8,800 to start up and costs $1,500 annually to maintain, but printing fees will cover the cost.
The technology department said that during the 2002-03 fiscal year, ASU East went through 1.4 million printed pages and $27,000 in paper and toner costs.
The money that will be collected from the system will be used to offset the cost of the printers as well as the purchase of paper and toner, the IT department said.
"If we can reduce the cost spent on paper and toner, we can potentially reallocate these funds to provide more up-to-date printers for the [11 computer] sites and classrooms," said Valenzuela
Rodica Evtuhovici, an agribusiness graduate student, said, "If [the students] exceed a limit, then they should be charged." Graphics and information technology senior Steve Mindel agreed there should be a limit on how much a student may print for free.
Valenzuela said the reason that is not possible "is because a database would then be required and this would add a huge expense in administrative costs to implement and maintain it accurately. IT would, at minimum, have to hire full-time personnel to keep the records consistent and up to date.
Aeronautical management technology major, Lauren Baldwin admitted if she had to choose whether to print out her documents at home versus on campus she would usually choose to print it out on the campus printers. "Don't we all [print on campus]?" she said.
When given a choice, all students interviewed agreed that postponing the fee was great and that they would rather not pay for printing at all. But several students say it is still cheaper to print anything at ASU East than at Main campus.
Reach the reporter at camardella@asu.edu.
