The Racquette

Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: College Life

Media Credit: Amanda Stockwell New iMacs in Crumb Library

As some of you may have already noticed, many of the computers available for students were replaced over winter break. Curious about the decision-making process that resulted in these changes, The Racquette contacted Romeyn Prescott, a graduate of SUNY Potsdam and former Student Entertainment Services President who has worked for Computing & Technology Services (CTS) since 1996. Prescott was kind enough to explain the procedures that resulted in these changes.

Every three years, the major technology centers on campus - Crumb & Crane libraries, the Levitt Center in Merritt Hall, technology-based classrooms throughout campus and several others - are upgraded. The funds for this come from the Student Tech Fee.

"The upgrades performed over winter break were actually scheduled for this past summer, but budget uncertainties resulted in our postponing them until winter break," Prescott said. "In addition to the Crumb reference area, 4 new iMacs were installed in the Crane reference area, 67 new iMacs were installed in the Levitt Center in Merritt Hall, and 31 new Hewlett Packard computers were installed in Dunn 210."

Some students may be asking the question, "Why iMacs?" iMacs are used because they are capable of running both MacOS and Windows, which are the two most common options for operating systems. Standard PCs such as the HPs used elsewhere on campus can run Windows, of course, but cannot run MacOS, which is proprietary and only runs on Mac hardware. This makes iMacs the logical choice for campus use as they provide students with the most flexibility.

In light of that, some students might wonder why CTS would purchase HPs at all. "Dunn 210 received HP computers because the iMacs we could afford to purchase would not fit in the "hideaway" desks in that room. I consulted with Faculty scheduled to teach in that room and they agreed that preserving the ability to hide the monitors in the desks was more important than the convenience of a dual-boot scenario," Prescott explained.

The computers that were removed from these locations will be redistributed to the "mini labs" and lounges scattered across campus. These can be found in almost every academic building. "The average life of a computer on this campus is six years," Prescott noted. "I'll add that it's very important that any user experiencing any problem with our systems report that problem to the CTS Helpdesk either by calling 315-267-2083, e-mailing helpdesk@potsdam.edu, or by stopping by our office in Stillman Hall room 103. We can only be so proactive in inspecting our systems and rely on reports of problems in order to address them.... We'd rather receive 5 calls about the same problem than none at all and have people wondering why it's not getting fixed!"

Users reporting problems should be able to provide details regarding the nature of the error.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools