SGA to push for increase of student printing funds
Each semester, undergraduate students are given $10 for printing on their student accounts meant to last for the duration of each semester. Graduate students are given $15.
In spring 2015 2,115 of the 18,413 on-campus undergraduate population exceeded the allotted printing amount. In fall 2015 semester, only 1,954 of the 19,387 on-campus undergraduates went over their $10 printing allotment.
Based off the fall 2015 undergraduate enrollment numbers, the average student only spends about $4.88 on printing, as calculated by the Office of Information Technology.
However, Student Government Association senator, Desirae Massey said $10 is not enough, especially compared to other universities.
She, along with the Academic Affairs Committee, wrote a resolution to increase the base allotment for student printing services at Central Michigan University earlier last month.
The resolution asks the university for an increase to $15 for of printing at the start of each semester. For undergrads, that initial amount is $10 for 250 black and white pages.
“I’m still working on trying to talk with (those in charge of) Printing Services here on campus so we can show them that this is something students want and this is something (the university) can afford for their student body,” Massey said. “We give students on the Disney College (Program) printing money, which doesn’t make sense because they won’t ever be on campus to use it.”
Kole Taylor, interim associate director for web and custom applications in the Office of Information Technology, said he said he wants to work with SGA to reach an understanding.
“Our goal in determining the right amount was to meet the needs of the vast majority of students without going overboard,” Kole said. “This is in line with CMU’s sustainability goals to promote thoughtful, responsible printing and reduce waste. Over 80 percent of undergraduate students never go over their allocation.”
The $10 allocation for printing and $15 for graduate students has been in place since “the inception of PrintQ” the university’s student-printing services five years ago.
This was determined by looking at “similar sized” universities and data gathered from surveying students on how much they print in a semester.
Funds given to students haven’t changed since.
Students can purchase more pages to print online by going under their Central Link account settings. Students can see how many pages they have left under their account settings, and how much money that equates to.
If a student runs out of printing pages, they can purchase 50 more pages for $2. Students can only purchase additional pages in $2 increments.
The additional $2 put on a student account, along with the initial $10 allotted for printing services, does not carry forward into the next semester.
Western Michigan University gives its students 500 "printing tokens" to use over the semester, worth 500 black and white pages. Their graduate students receive 750 black and white pages. At WMU, students are charged three cents per black and white page whereas CMU students are charged four cents.
University of Michigan students are given $24, or 400 black and white pages.
Davidson sophomore Sally Crane said she hasn’t used printing services much in the past but anticipates using it more as she gets further into her college career.
“My classes are becoming more paper and project based, rather than online homework,” she said. “Right now, I’m probably printing 10 to 15 pages every other week, so I feel like I’m definitely going to go over that $10 amount.”
Massey met with members of the Office of Information Technology on March 15 to discuss the feasibility of the bill.
“(The representatives) believed this is a good proposal and we could potentially have the increase in allocation take place incrementally over a period of semesters (or) years,” she said.
