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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1998)
updated equipment University replaces200 computers By Jessica Fargen Staff writer For every credit hour students take this year, $4 is tacked on as a technology fee to have faster com puters, upgraded software and enhanced technology programs. Pam Holley-Wilcox, director of information technology support, said $500,000 of the $1.3 million gener ated from the technology fee this year was spent replacing 200 com puters, mostly on City Campus. Forty-seven computers were replaced on East Campus in Goodding Learning Center and Keim Hall. Labs in Sandoz Residence Hall, Selleck Residence Hall, Love Library and Andrews Hall also received replacements, saidTom Eads, manager of the information technology support computer labs. Of the computers replaced, 14 will be in the Nebraska Union 24 hour laboratory when it opens in November, Holley-Wilcox said. The lab will have 28 computers, three times as many as the old lab. The purpose of the technology fee, implemented last year, is to have about 500 UNL computers on a three-year replacement cycle to keep them updated. Computers in admin istrators’ and instructors’ offices are not replaced as part of the technolo gy fee cycle. Eads said the cycle allows UNL to replace the computers with more reliable and useful machines. This year’s new computers have internal Zip drives, increased memory and fastermicp^roc^sp^s. ,, T ^qpdatejd technology, studejnls paid _$2, per credit hour in technology, tees last year; this year die fee is $4 per credit hour. It will be capped at $5 per cred it hour for 1999-2000. The fee is not charged beyond 15 credit hours. The remaining $800,000 of this year’s fee money will be spent on stu dent staff to manage the computer help desk’s extended hours, a stu dent-faculty technology computer program and upgraded software. The current help desk, which is run by Information Services, is staffed by professional employees and geared toward faculty members, Holley-Wilcox said. About $60,000 will bo spent to pay eight students to staff the desk during added hours. Students can call die desk and ask questions about computer viruses, e-mail or general computer problems. Holley-Wilcox said $30,000 from the fee will partially fund a pro-, gram where a group of about six stu dents will work with about six facul ty members to come up with multi media software to be used in courses. The rest of the money will be spent to upgrade software such as the Dynamic Network Addresses, which eventually will allow students to move their personal computers from place to place on campus and not have to reconfigure them. That way, students would be able to bring laptops from home and con nect them to the Internet at the uni versity without changing their pro grams. Reliable ways to use laptops on campus, more East Campus replace ments and faster, tatter computers are benefits students could see every day, said Paul Schreier, former infor mation technology fee advisory chairman for the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska. Schreier said because students pay the fee and use the equipment, their input is important in deciding how to spend the money. Holley-Wilcox said the fee is necessary to keep UNL and its stu dents competitive with today’s tech nology. “It brings us into line with other Big 12 schools as far as having a fee like this,” Holley-Wilcox said. “We were one of the last schools to insti tute a technology fee. “It has allowed us to catch up some as far as what technology we can make available to our students.” •) 1 jfi'i'"'*•!: - ; It'S f. -V Ai^more authentic and you couldn't drink the water. Banilot as BigmYocrHeadi 15th “CT Ii«jBLtaibi»db«e Use your noon hour to RELAX* : For more information, call Sue at 472-7450 Counseling ^Psychological Services • September 8 Breath of Life/Passive Progressive Relaxation •September 15 Breath Meditation 8c Body Scan Tuesdays * September 22 1 to 10 & Warm Autogenic 12*10 12*45 * Relaxation •September 29 Visualizing Change UHC-Room 43 & A Trip to the Beach —— .._.., Parking Problems? Need a Place to Park? » Park by Day * $2.00 i L Park by i w Month $25 . _ ; '; ; j Don't Fight for Parking Enter at Nh it S Streets, 1 block west of Memorial National Garages, Gold's Galleria, Suite 120 • 474-2274 Iowa State Daily Iowa State University Ames, Iowa (U-Wire) - If home is where the heart is, many students are far from it. As newcomers to college life and independence, many fresh men face the strain of living and studying away from the familiari ties of home. Stress caused by classes, com bined with homesickness and loneliness, can lead many first year students to depression, with drawal and sickness. This danger is especially high for freshmen who have, in the past, spent little time away from family, friends and “home sweet home.” “Homesickness is a common part of a student’s adjustment,” said Nancy Corbin, assistant director for clinieal services at Iowa State University’s Student Counseling Center. “Most new students feel excited, yet really they miss the things they have left behind.” Some ISU freshmen expressed feeling lonely because of the absence of their high school friends. “I’ve got the ‘lonelies’ because I don’t have my good friends to turn to,” said freshman Shannon Schwab from Evansdale. “But as I adjust, it’ll get better.” Missing familiar faces is not the only cause of homesickness. It also can be brought on by the change of schedule and the new environments students confront, as well as the lack of parental guidance, Corbin said. “Sometimes, just the newness of the experience can take stu dents back a bit,” she said. But for some, the first weeks of college have been more enjoy able than depressing. “I’m not homesick now, just sick for the people at home,” Schwab said. “I think many other freshmen are (homesick) now. They just haven’t realized it yet.” Student Health Center physi cian Mark Blaedel agrees that freshmen are not affected by homesickness until later in the semester. “The students will be OK for the first two to three'weeks because so much is going on. They don’t notice their homesick ness, but as soon as they (settle in) we really start seeing it,” he said. Blaedel said the Student Health Center employees tend to see an increase in the number of sick freshmen about a month into the first semester. “Feeling depressed or anxious contributes to sickness,” Blaedel said. “Stress in measured amounts is healthy, but when a student is diverting too much energy to worrying about home, there may not be enough spent about (the student’s) well-being.” “It’s a mental thing,” said Colin Kurth, a freshman in pre advertising from Anchorage, Alaska. “People make themselves sick because they dwell on it.” Blaedel said students can combat depression by monitoring their health and exercise patterns. Paying close attention to eating, sleeping and exercise habits can reduce susceptibility to illness, he said. “Most kids who drop out do so during their first three semes ters,” Blaedel said. “It’s not because they can’t do the work. Most of the time there is an emo tional (interference). 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