It’s a common sight by now, students swiping their cards in the ODY computer labs to facilitate printing. As part of the university’s new “Pay for Print” program, the Information Technology department keeps track of how many sheets each student prints out. Once you reach 400, you’re charged six cents for every additional piece of paper.
Implemented solely because of environmental concerns (or so administrators say; more on this later), the program has its supporters and detractors. Frustrated students, especially those in SYEs or who have majors that require they print a great deal, say the system is unfair to them, especially considering the university’s ever-increasing tuition and other fees.
Conversely, administrators and other staff members offer a number of opposing arguments. They say that free printing was always a privilege at St. Lawrence; that they are not trying to nickel-and-dime the student body; that a few dollars for extra pages is still cheaper than a textbook at Brewer Bookstore; and that the program has stopped some students who had abused their ability to print for free.
After a pilot program of pay for print was completed last semester, IT reviewed the average number of pages students printed in the duration of a semester. IT settled on 400 pages based loosely on this average, although according to René Thatcher, Co-CIO & Director of Client Services, the number may not be as accurate as it could be because during the pilot program, “students weren’t paying attention as closely as they are now.” Thatcher’s husband Rhett, who is the manager of server technology for IT, adds, “because of that we assumed we could shoot a little bit low. We knew we could always raise the quota later, but we could never get away with lowering it.”
Administrators currently see no need for an adjustment in the number of allotted pages. “If 90 percent of campus is over [the allotted limit] then we will make an adjustment. But like many other things, it is easier to add more money to things things than to take money away,” said René Thatcher.
One question the new printing program raises: are students actually printing less, or are they simply paying for what they used to print for free? René Thatcher says, “It’s kind of early to be able to make those comparisons as of yet.” She also provides some preliminary statistics: at the mid- semester break mark the median number of pages printed was 93 and the average student had printed 127 pages. “We have about five students who have gone over – over quite a bit. One student has a thousand; one was a PowerPoint over six hundred pages,” she says.
Administrators continue to stand by their argument that pay for print is purely for environmental purposes. “The reason that we have done this is that it’s something the students asked us to do. As part of the President’s Climate Commitment, Thelmo asked us to do this a couple of years ago but we didn’t have the infrastructure in place; we finally do now,” says René Thatcher. “Students would print and waste. It’s about awareness and so far the students have been good, minus a couple.” Cassie Dudar ’11 agrees, “I think pay for print is a good idea. I think twice before pressing print now — it saves a lot of paper.”
However, English professor Theo Hummer urges us not to overlook the university’s dedication to sustainability, even if it means that students have to make a few sacrifices. “The process of education generates huge amounts of paper, which is a huge environmental problem. Can we print using environmentally friendly ink? Recycled paper? Obviously we need to do everything we can for the environment, but we need to do what we’re here to do— educate.”
The IT department emphasizes that the program should not adversely affect too many students. “The goal is for pay for print to only affect a small percentage of students going over — 10 percent of campus,” said René Thatcher. But nevertheless campus is buzzing with opinions about the new policy, and it seems that a good deal more than 10 percent of campus is feeling the effects of the new policy, even if they haven’t made major changes in printing.
Louis Jenkins ’11 captures many students’ frustrations with pay for print. “It sucks. We already pay tuition. We can’t help it when we have to print things off of ANGEL for class.” Charlotte Noorsday ’12 shared his sentiments: “We don’t print because we want to, we print because we have to,” she says.
Other students point out the discrepancy in classes and majors that require more printing than others. “Certain majors don’t need to print anything for class while others need a hundred or more pages printed off per class. It’s unfair to certain majors,” says Heather Christie ’11. “Individual classes may be different [in the amounts of required print jobs] but the net total shouldn’t be,” says Louise Gava, Coordinator of Sustainability Projects. “Science, math, English; every major has been emailing me. To some extent, some professors ask students to print. Remember to print double-sided. Conserve!”
Still, many students are concerned with the number of pages they have to print for classes, be they long research papers or journal articles on ANGEL. “It’s not our fault that we have to print so much, it’s adding up quickly,” says Drew Williams ’10. Emily Fisher ’12 says, “It’s kind of ridiculous that we have to pay for print when professors assign readings.”
In response to these protests, Gava says, “In some classes students are being asked to print numerous materials for class. Well, did that professor ask those students to buy books in September? Which is cheaper?”
Hummer notes the issues pay for print has risen among the faculty. “As an instructor, it’s a dilemma. What is the best way to distribute course readings? How much is this a hardship for certain majors?”
Faculty do not currently pay for print themselves. The lab in their department is instead charged. When we told him this, Jenkins said, “If teachers don’t have to
pay for print then teachers should provide the materials for class.” However, professors simply don’t have the means to print articles for each one of their students. “Faculty time is limited, over- committed, stretched, and busy. How much time can they spend at the Xerox? We can’t be glorified secretaries for the students,” says Hummer.
Pay for print has also created a rift between students who are feeling anxious and disgruntled about paying to print homework and class materials, and professors who assign lengthy readings posted on ANGEL for their classes. Many professors require that these readings be brought to class in order to facilitate discussion. Emily Wescott ’12 says, “I fucking hate it. I’m way over — it’s ridiculous. Professors refuse to adapt to the new regulations.”
Other students feel that pay for print is hurting their ability to complete their homework. “Charging students money to do and print their work prohibits students from printing off material for class that they might have otherwise read. Both the school and the students are losing out,” says Casey O’Brien ’11.
Heather Demers ’10 says that she’s seen a decrease in the quality of her work since the new policy was implemented. “I am a senior in college and I have to handwrite my homework. It looks really lame. I mostly write out the small assignments for labs and things and I don’t print off articles for class anymore. It’s so frustrating because when I don’t have an article in class with me, and we’re discussing it, I can’t reference it or talk about it as well. Then, when I have to study for exams, I’m wasting time digging up the articles all over again online. We are going to a $50,000-a-year school and I have to pay for print? I mean, come on. And don’t give me the environment excuse because paper and ink are still being wasted when I handwrite my homework.”
Some students, like Gabriel Colas ’10, say that they’ve stopped doing their work altogether. “I don’t do my homework because of [pay for print].” Meg Randall ’12 points out the predicament that she faces in terms of printing off articles for class. “I have to print them off. Some kids bring their computers to class with them and read off the screen, but I just can’t learn that way. I have to write on the article, highlight and underline. SonowIhavetopayforhowI learn.”
Many students cite St. Lawrence’s high tuition cost, which has increased steeply in recent years, as a reason for their dissatisfaction with the new printing policy. Access Services Librarian Rhonda Courtney sympathizes with students’ uneasiness. “I understand students pay for tuition and now have to pay for printing; it’s overwhelming.”
Administrators assert that pay for print is purely an environmental initiative. While the money from pay for print goes to the university’s overall budget, René Thatcher says, “We’re not looking to make any money, so it [the university’s commitment to the environment] is the only factor.” It’s difficult to believe that in such difficult economic times, and a huge hit to the endowment that the university is only thinking of the environment when charging students to print. Gava says, “Any school with the same tuition, we can only have so many ‘free’ things. In tuition, we stretch bucks. Something has to give and it won’t be to decrease education.”
Chris Walek ’12, an environmental studies major and proponent of pay for print, says, “If you’re already affording the tuition for St. Lawrence, you can afford to pay for print.” Louise Gava wonders if students need to reevaluate their monetary priorities. “When students are ordering a medium Mikey’s and a 30 rack of Busch on the weekends, think about how many pages you could print with that money! What about seniors at Blues every Tuesday? How many theses could you print for each Tuesday night?”
Gava also mentions that seniors seem to have the most complaints about pay for print, which is a natural consequence of change. “The seniors are the hardest group. Three years of certain behaviors is hard to curb. First-years shouldn’t have any problems. It does not take that long to change behavior. A semester or two from now, people won’t remember this is really happening.”
In the meantime, some students are using alternative methods of getting around pay for print. Many students (including half of the first-year class) have personal printers on campus. However, these printers generally don’t print double-sided, and the toner can be very costly. Other students have resorted to stealing paper from printers and copiers to use in their rooms.
IT is slowly revamping pay for print, including new features that allow students to be reimbursed for failed print jobs or jobs that are for on-campus employment. There is also a video on the print page of the IT website to show students how to navigate and monitor their print history.
Students are urged to voice their opinions about pay for print. “If students are that heated, they should be interested in making a case. If you don’t like something, educate yourself, make a case and we’ll hear you. Students are this university and can change things if they’re smart about it,” says Gava. She went on to say, “Fight, don’t bitch. Be an activist. Dan Sullivan always said politely, ‘the squeaky wheel gets the grease.’ Do the research; no one will change for a whiner.”
It may be too early to tell if pay for print will achieve its initial objectives. While the program discourages students from wasting paper and ink, it may also deter students from printing the materials they need to obtain a successful education.