English computer lab being renovated
As soon as final papers are written, printed off and turned in, the English open-access computer lab will begin renovation, and although professors in the department are very excited about the changes, some students are not.
On May 9, the remodeling will begin. The computer lab will be re-designed with 12 to 15 laptop Macintosh computers and 11 desktop Macintosh computers. Other changes include new desks and chairs, as well as a conference type table and chair set up with a whiteboard.
“It will be a casual, comfortable work space for students with the latest technology and flexibility for group work and collaboration. It’s certainly an environment I would enjoy working (or teaching) in, and students and faculty will benefit from the changes,” said Melinda White, an English professor.
The computers will be Intel Macintosh computers. All users will have a choice to use either Windows or Mac operating systems.
“I sort of look at it as the best of both worlds. You can use either Windows or Mac depending on what you’re most comfortable with,” said English professor and overseer of the project Ryan Moeller.
Although the new Macs will have Windows Vista, most English students use PCs for their assignments and would have to re-learn how to use certain programs.
“We don’t use Macintosh computers in a technical atmosphere,” said Sean Kowalis, a sophomore in technical writing. “I did use (Macs) years ago, and they were great, but with a normal regular PC with Windows you can actually get more done.”
Another problem is the amount of computers in the lab, because the computer lab is full and has a line out the door in the busy times of the day, said English lab consultant Matt Geddef.
“I think the biggest concern is the number of computers, because on the Mac they are putting Windows and so theoretically that resolves the Mac issue,” said Geddef, an accounting graduate student. He met with the professors over the project on spring break and brought up his concerns.
Geddef said the planners realized the problem of having fewer computers in the lab, but they hadn’t thought of a way to resolve it and were going to move forward anyway.
“The old lab didn’t have as much use,” Moeller said. “We just found that students weren’t using it because they would rather go somewhere else.”
With the renovations there will be more room for desks and chairs, but not as much space for individual computer work space.
Most students use the English lab to print off papers, Moeller said.
Geddef thinks if the majority of students don’t use the lab for writing papers and only for print outs they should be able to use their USU card to get printouts paid for with English department fees.
“I don’t see why you can’t take the lab fee that they pay and put it on students’ USU cards with 200 printouts. I don’t see any reason why that’s not possible,” said Geddef.
But Geddef admitted that he didn’t know the logistics of his plan, and realized that with the money put on a card, the lab may not be used at all.
Although the $50 English student course fees keep the lab running, money from an innovation grant is paying for the renovation.
The innovation grant is created through the help of all the departments on campus taking a budget cut to go toward future improvements.
“Every department was required to cut one half of 1 percent of their operating budget,” Geddef said. “They came up with a lot of money . . . and then departments were able to write proposals to get some of that money.”
Four different departments received the money and one was the English department.
The English department sent a proposition to the provost after having it approved by the department head in October. They received permission for the lab in December and received the money in January.
Since then, they have been making plans for the revisions.
The two main reasons the department decided on this project was because its peer institutions have facilities that include a collaborative work environment, and professional facilities are also based on the new, more collaborative writing space.
The lab, although made for English students, is also available for use for anyone who wishes to pay the fee, English Department Head Jeffrey Smitten said.
Geddef said in the grant proposal the lab was designed for English 1010 and 2010 students. But the design for the room is for graduate students and students in the major.
“They’re designing it for the select number of students but the majority of students that use that lab are 1010 and 2010 students,” Geddef said.
The old lab is more individualized and the renovations will make it more group oriented, Moeller said.
“We’ve sort of been forced to do the best we can with what we have from surplus,” Moeller said. “We’re trying our best to recreate the best practices that research has showed us that works well.”
Technical writing student, Kowalis said he would enjoy the space for the professional atmosphere, and because they use that lab for their classes.
“I think it’s going to show us as students what we’re going to be able to do when we get into our actual field,” Kowalis said.
A designer is helping design the new room which will include connectible chairs without arm rests, like the library furniture. A white board and a group table will also be included.
“While it’s very idealistic for that graduate theory that they’re talking about, the people that use the lab are English 1010 and 2010 students. So if you’re changing it into a hang-out place verses a computer lab, people want to go to a computer lab to work, not to hang out,” said Geddef.
Moeller said he has talked with students and received positive feedback but Geddef said if students knew what the changes were, they would not be as happy.
Moeller said he’s very excited about the project, and students with concerns can contact him at rylish.moeller@usu.edu.
-ranaebang@cc.usu.edu