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24-hour lab access denied in Plemmons
Lab closed during early morning hours |
Chris Bohle
Senior Staff Writer
Business Affairs Beat |
josh Brown | Chief Photographer |
The computer lab located
in Plemmons Student Union will no longer be open 24 hours a day, due
to a lack of nightly usage and diminishing funds.
The lab, located on the second floor of the union,
will now close from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.
“We have kept a head count of all the usage
in all of the computer labs throughout campus,” said Dr. Douglas
B. May, director of Academic Computing Services. “And in the
2-8 [a.m.] period, there was just not many people coming in.” |
“It was kind of
a sad moment in my mind because we designed the space [in the union]
to work for the 24-hour lab,” said Director of Student Programs
and Plemmons Student Union David L. Roberston.
“We were on e of the few unions in the [UNC] system that offered
this service,” said Roberston.
The decision was also influenced by security concerns. The student
who worked the night shift in the lab would often be the only person
in the Student Union, causing May and others to question their safety.
“Just from a security standpoint, it was a decision that had
to be made,” said May. “Having a student there by herself
was a liability that was difficult to continue to justify.”
In the seven years where the computer lab was open 24 hours, there
have been no incidents, said Robertson. He said he would like to see
the lab return to a 24-hour status once funding and staffing concerns
are resolved.
“This was the one [place on campus] that could offer students
24-hour access to a computer lab,” said Robertson.
May said the money saved from not hiring a night worker for the lab
will not only cover extra printing costs but will serve as extra funding
for several other purposes as well.
“We are hoping to totally refresh the computer labs throughout
campus, so some of the extra money will eventually be used to purchase
new computers,” said May.
Student worker wages will most likely be increased, and better hardware
and software will be easier to purchase with the extra funding, said
May.
“We have a whole list of things to be done,” said May. “We
just feel that all of these things will be more beneficial to the
student in the long run.”
May emphasized the shortened hours were not intended to affect the
student negatively, but to better enhance their experience in the
lab.
“The idea is to help the student the best way possible, so we
just found better places to use the money,” said May.
May said Academic Computing Services is considering making the lab
open 24 hours again during exam time, as well as other possible high-traffic
times of the year.
“We always keep a head count of how many people are in the labs,”
said May. “So if we feel the need to open it again during a busy
time of the semester, then we will always consider that an option.” |
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