‘BSGE Computers [are not good]’

As a student at
BSGE, you are undoubtedly
aware of the computer
problem in the school.
Perhaps you may have
noticed the abundance of
“Need Repair” signs found
on a large portion of the
computers that you take
out of the cart. Some computers
appear normal, but
upon turning them on you
find that they freeze or are
glitchy. Often, computers
simply do not turn on.
Melissa Hinson,
Mouse-Squad coordinator,
blames the defects on
the age of the computers.
“They are five years old”
she says. Several years
ago, the school received
repair service from Dell. If
there was a problem with a
computer, a Dell representative
would come to fix it,
or it would be shipped to
repairs and sent back like
new. Presently, however,
it is not that simple. Ms.
Hinson revealed that the
new policy now requires
the school to pay approximately
$400 per repair.
You may say to yourself:
“Well the school has a
budget. Why isn’t money
being allocated to computer
repairs?” The answer
is simple: City-wide
budget cuts have crippled
the school. With a lack of
proper funding, the school
cannot afford the expensive
repair option.
Ok, so the school
cannot afford to pay an
outside company to fix
the computer problem.
There is still Mouse-
Squad, right? Well, not
exactly. “Mouse-Squad is
only licensed for minor
repair work. They are not
legally allowed to open up
a computer.” Says Melissa
Hinson. “Shantanu and I
are working on getting the
license.”
Two teachers,
who wish to remain
anonymous, say that they
do indeed require students
to use computers for their
classes. They both said
that if there were functioning
computers that were
available, that they would
use them in class. “Sometimes
I plug mine into the
projector, and display it
on the board so that the
students can see” – said
one of the teachers.
Several students
were asked what they
thought of the computers
in this school. A majority
of their first responses
were: “They suck!” Every
student asked agreed that
many of the laptops were
non-functional, and that
if computers needed to be
used in school, that it was
better to go into the library
and use the desktops there
because they are always
working. They also said
that a majority of their
teachers require them to
use computers outside/
during school, and that
having functional computers
in school would be
a big help.
Some of the damage done
to the computers is simply
a result of neglect of the
students who use them.
Many computers are not
plugged in when the cart
is opened during a class.
Some of them contain
visible damage, such as
scratches and stains, or
missing keyboard keys. As
a student of BSGE, it is
your job to ensure that you
take care of the computers
provided to you, or risk the
consequence of not having
any. A popular BSGE slogan
that you have no doubt
heard is “Take care of your
space”, and it couldn’t be
more necessary.
How is the school
trying to help the state of
technology in our school
despite the budget cuts?
The PTA has been brainstorming
ways to raise
money through various
fundraisers in addition to
the school looking to try
to save money in some
places to buy new computers.
Any solutions will be
expensive and we can’t
expect quick solutions
soon