Why do students have to pay for paper in campus computer labs?

By Todd Luck
Staff Writer and Cartoonist

I patiently waited in the computer lab as another student finished printing and removed his paper from the printer. I then put my own paper in, but before I could press print someone else’s project starts printing on my paper!

This made me realize things were simpler last time I went to college, back in 2000 at UNC Greensboro. Back then the university filled the printers with paper and life was good. Why wasn’t UNCP doing the same? I asked the Vice Chancellor of Information Technology Dr. Maurice Mitchell this question.

“It doesn’t work,” Mitchell replied.

Doesn’t work? It used to work just fine for me. I pressed “Print” and my document came right out.
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Mitchell pointed out that while some student are conscientious about their printing, many will go through reams of paper printing multiple drafts of long documents.

UNCG’s Information Technology and Planning (ITP) website also lists an increasing reliance on online materials and non-school related printing as reasons why lab printing is so costly.

I suppose they have a point. The UCIS gets its budget from student fees. More expenses for them mean more expenses for us. Mitchell listed several ways that other colleges have tried to solve the problem.

The first solution is paying for at least one full time lab assistant in every lab to monitor printing.

The second is to hire a contractor to install a printer that requires the swipe of a debit card to print. The contractor handles everything involved with the printer, so it’s less work for the college, but it’s also the most expensive alternative for the student. The ITP website said “Pay 4 Paper” programs charge between 3 to 8 cents a page.

Having students bring their own paper is the cheapest alternative, according to Mitchell. Most colleges no longer provide paper and the growing trend is for them to use “Pay 4 Print” programs.

According to ITP, many state colleges use “Pay 4 Print” including Wake Forest, Guilford College, NC A&T and UNC Chapel Hill. This long list even includes UNCG, who now charges 4 cents a sheet.

It’s amazing how much can change when you’re out of college for four years. I can actually remember a time when colleges provided paper for students. I must be getting old.