The Student Senate is considering a resolution to enact a Mobile Computing Initiative, which will require all incoming freshmen to have laptop computers.
The resolution, known as “Education for a New Economy Act,” was introduced as part of the Senate’s spring 2004 legislative packet.
It calls for the University to continue research of the program and enact it by the 2005-06 academic year.
According to a Senate e-mail, the Senate’s Academics Committee debated the resolution Tuesday night.
Michael Busada, Student Senate Speaker, said he feels the initiative will bring LSU to the forefront and spur economic development in Louisiana.
Chuck Wilson, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and a member of the committee researching the initiative, said it is a great opportunity for the University, especially since much of higher education is moving toward technological expansion.
The initiative will allow the University and students to stay up with technological changes, Wilson said.
He said the committee still is discussing the initiative and what will happen to computer labs.
Wilson also said financing the program and infrastructure are issues involved in the Mobile Computing Initiative.
Allen Richey, Student Government president, said the Mobile Computing Initiative has the potential to succeed if it is done right.
“My concern is that we have to make it easily attainable for people who are financially burdened,” Richey said.
He said the University will need a great deal of money to implement the program.
Wilson said the only disadvantage is that it is another cost students will incur.
Students could save money on the tech fee that is used to update the equipment in the University’s computer labs, Wilson said. The money they will spend on the initiative is a fee they are already paying.
Busada said students who qualify for financial aid will be eligible for grants and loans to receive laptops from the University.
Richey said it is important to look at whether or not faculty members are willing to support the initiative and try the program in their classrooms. Also, it is important to look at whether or not students and faculty members want this program.
“We gotta make it effective for the professors and everyone involved,” Richey said.
Richey said feedback on this issue is a necessity.
Provost Risa Palm said the Mobile Computing Initiative can create an interactive learning environment for students.
Palm said faculty members can get immediate feedback from students and other faculty members throughout a lecture.
“Instead of somebody [being] disconnected and lecturing at a group of people, they can be really engaged,” she said.
Palm said she thinks the Mobile Computing Initiative can work for the University. She believes it is working at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she used to work.
“What they did at North Carolina was give everybody access to computers,” said Palm.
UNC has reduced its need for large scale computer labs and it really has transformed its undergraduate program, she said.
Palm said UNC was able to equalize the opportunity for students to have access to technology.
Wilson said LSU can benefit from the experience that other schools, such as UNC, have had with computing initiatives.
However, Richey said he is concerned that the program can become a financial burden to students.
“It’s got to be a burden-less process,” he said.
Richey said he thinks the initiative will not increase tuition or student fees, but wants to make sure before SG presents a recommendation to the administration
The Mobile Computing Initiative should be a one-time cost, he said. It could also have political implications if it does cause an increase in tuition, because TOPS would have to pay for it.
TOPS will only go so far, Richey said.
He said the program’s cost should be fully investigated before the Mobile Computer Initiative is implemented.
Richey said he has concerns about the cost of renovating the infrastructure and installing wireless systems in classrooms.
Many laptops will not fit onto the University’s desks, and there are classrooms that have to be made to support the wireless systems, Richey said. He does not know where the money to do all of this will come from.
Richey said he thinks the program will not move forward unless there is money to finance it, but he is confident that the committee will find a source for the money.
He said he will not speculate on the final cost of the program.
Wilson said many University classrooms already are fitted for wireless Internet.
Palm said the computer company supplying the University will subsidize the laptops for students.
Wilson said he heard that large companies will give universities a steep discount on computer products when the university signs a contract with them.
The University is able to get the products because the companies will want to engage the students to continue to use the products once they are out of school, Wilson said. It is to the advantage to the computer company.
Palm said the University could possibly get better prices for laptops than what students currently pay.
Despite the possible opportunities to cover the costs, Palm admitted there were drawbacks to the program.
Palm said the downside to the program at Chapel Hill was the demand for uniformity. When Chapel Hill started the Carolina Computer Initiative, many people wanted to maintain their Macintosh computers instead of getting the required PC.
Richey said whether or not the initiative is implemented for the 2005-06 academic year depends on the University’s commitment to research.
“If a big pot of money fell out of the sky, then we can do something,” he said.
Busada said they will look toward private corporations and other institutions for sources of money to finance the program.
Wilson said if SG passes the resolutions, it could speed up the rate at which the program is implemented.
Chancellor Mark Emmert said the initiative will not be automatically put into place, but the University seriously will consider what is proposed.
The Student Senate will be considering the resolution at its meeting tonight at 6:30 in the Union’s Atchafalaya room.