The new printing policy being implemented this semester strives to promote a campus culture of sustainability, but ultimately offers few benefits and is unfair to students.

By charging a small fee per page, the University hopes to discourage excessive printing and promote environmental sustainability. However, the new policy has removed all previous restrictions on printing items not for Arts & Sciences and printing multiple copies.  Therefore, the new policy in fact encourages the use of even more paper. This blatant discrepancy between the policy’s intention and execution eliminates the sustainability initiative claimed by the University’s new policy.

Along with the new policy, Wash. U. will be increasing the number of printers in Eads Hall. While this action is intended to alleviate traffic and congestion, it adds an expense for the school and will further increase the use of paper. Purchasing more printers will reduce any financial benefits the university may reap from charging students to use them.

Additionally, the new policy has the potential to create a divide among students.  Those living on campus will still be able to print for free in residential college computer labs, while those living off-campus will be denied that option. Some students may also own personal printers in their rooms, while others do not. Because many students choose to live off campus to save money, it will likely be the more financially sensitive students that will suffer from the new policy.

The policy places a burden on professors, who may have to begin accepting more assignments via e-mail in order to avoid further exposing this divide. If a professor prefers hard copies of assignments, he or she will then have to print them out with his or her own resources. Taking time and financial resources from Wash. U. professors could potentially affect the quality of education offered at our University.

Click here to read the counterpoint.

While the policy intends to conserve the University’s material and financial resources, it fails to recognize that all students, just like the endowment, have been affected by the current economy. Most incoming freshmen are probably still reeling from the first Wash. U. tuition bill as they enter school this semester. With books and school supplies eating up our cash, printing now provides another unexpected expense.  A few cents per page may not initially appear problematic, but the principle of charging students for this small service is unreasonable and even absurd.

The new pay-for-print system unfairly requires students to pay for a service that is necessary to their educations. Printing assignments is a basic part of taking college courses, and it should be covered by our hefty tuition payments. Whether it charges four cents or four dollars, the University is taking advantage of students by not providing them this basic privilege.

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Tags: artsci, divide, pay-for-print, printing policy, unfair

This entry was posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 2:39 am and is filed under Forum, Staff Columnists. You can follow any responses to this entry through this feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.