Written by Lem Atanga McCormick
Computers for long-term student use are found in two locations on campus: Frost Library and the Computer Center. Frost Library is the main library and, as such, lies at the heart of the campus, and there are two computer labs there. The Computer Center is a bit out of the way and has five labs. Both locations have Macs and PCs. Two computer centers may seem too few at first, but they are more than enough for the 1,600 or so students who go here. What is great about the school computers is that if you are working on a paper or project, you can save the documents and other files on your student drive, which is accessible only by them, from any computer on campus. Plus, an overwhelming majority of students bring their own computers, and every room is equipped with an Ethernet connector. Working in the dorm, however, with all your friends loitering about, can sometimes prove extremely inefficient, and when exam periods come around, there are sizeable crowds typing away in the public labs. Outside of finals week, when all those who take humanity courses realize that it’s probably a good idea to get started on those 15-pagers, you’ll surely find a free computer to work on. Even during finals, Computer Center, with its five labs, will most likely not be full, but you can’t count on the Library, since its central location makes it more popular.
The IT department is responsive to student needs and will send someone to your room to fix any problem you may have. The network is fast, which induces many students to download considerable megabytes of music and movies from file-sharing Web sites. That said, you should seriously think about getting your own computer because the workloads can become heavy, and you will want to be able to plan your time independently of Computer Center hours.