By Allison Shook, Madison Lane, and Megan Herrera
Layout Editors and News Editor
Being a college student requires a lot of printing. Having class syllabi, notes, PowerPoint slides, essays and more printed out is essential for success in a class. In an institution where printing is free and accessible throughout campus, it is no surprise that majority of students wouldn’t care about wasting excessive amounts of paper, ink and money.
As of this semester, the Administration has implemented a new printing system in the Bertrand Library in an attempt to conserve resources. This process requires students to choose a number as a personal code to receive their document. When printing, students must walk to their printer, click on their document that can be seen by their username, enter the code and then click “OK.” The purpose of this is to decrease the amount of paper that was being thrown away every day and avoid problems such as lost pages or mix-ups.
Some students have found this process to be extremely time consuming because walking to a printer and punching a couple numbers into a screen, and waiting two minutes for their document seems to be a waste of time. Instead of realizing the advantages of this system, they focus on and criticize the small problem of a little extra effort required. Walking to a printer and not having your document ready for you seems to be the main concern for lazy students that can’t find the time to ensure their document is printed properly.
However, this new system has multiple benefits. It provides efficiency, while also being eco-friendly. As the world around is trying to go green, it seems honorable for the University to switch to this advantageous policy. As a campus that advertises and promotes events such as RecycleMania and housing students in an Environmental Residential College, we are taking baby steps to a more eco-friendly future.
Ultimately, the advantages of this new printing method outweigh the small hassles that some students are complaining about. Hopefully these students will see the benefits of the new system and their negativity will fade away over time.