UMBC students have complained about the slowness of computers in the library, the Engineering Building, and the Information Technology and Engineering Building. “The computers take a long time to load,” freshman hairstyling and contouring major Anfisa Nova says. “I have a class in a lab and by the time it finally logs in, the class is over.”
Other students have also expressed concerns regarding slow computers. Astrobiology senior Marco Polo says, “In my four years here at UMBC, I’ve learned to avoid using the desktops. I bought a laptop from Newegg and have decided to use that since freshman year.”
The technology department at UMBC announced that all desktops on campus will be replaced. Computer expert Steve Careers says, “we’re going to upgrade all the desktops with high-end intel processors and powerful Nvidia graphics cards.”
Professional gamer and competitive gaming junior Tobi Owl has been wanting this upgrade since the day he was admitted. “I’m paying 11 thousand dollars a semester. I expect quality when it comes to technology here.”
The revamp of all the computers comes with a cost. “Unfortunately, all those old computers can’t be sold for much,” Careers says. “We will donate them to households that can’t afford computers.”
Careers says most of the funding will come from students. “We’re delivering quality workstations to all students at UMBC. But that means we will have to add about a thousand dollars extra to their tuition.”
When asked about the tuition raise, Nova said, “I mean, for me, it’s no big deal. My husband pays for everything. One grand isn’t that much money.”
According to Careers, the one thousand dollar addition to student tuition fees only applies to the Fall 2018 semester. “It’s supposed to cover the proprietary costs of outsourcing these new computers,” he says.
Some students are outraged by the idea. “I completely disagree with the tuition fee,” Polo says. “As someone who solely survives on their laptop for everything, paying an extra thousand for something I won’t even use is a waste of money. Luckily, I’m graduating this semester, so I don’t have to worry about that.”
Owl believes that although the costs are unattractive at first, they are necessary. “It’s what UMBC needs,” he says. “It’s like a major investment. We don’t want new freshman coming to school thinking that we’re a cheap school because we’re still using desktops with cheap Pentium processors and integrated graphics.”
Nova further explained her support for the idea. “We have to have this. I don’t care how much it costs as long as it works. I just can’t stand going to the library and waiting 10 minutes for the computer to log me in.”
The technology department will bill students in the coming Fall 2018 semester. All students will see an additional fee under their tuition labeled “proprietary hardware.”
“Students cannot opt out. The fee will be mandatory,” Careers says. “Unfortunately, that’s just how it is. We cannot move forward unless we have the funding.”
