And now for a big swig of the Kool-Aid Sibby drinks...
I've noted previously that the Board of Regents would like to require every South Dakota university campus to follow DSU's lead and require every student to use a Gateway Tablet PC. Two e-mails I receive from DSU's Computing Services remind me why that's such a bad idea.
The e-mails remind students that they must turn in DSU's Tablet PCs for the summer. Yes, the $320 students pay each semester for the privilege of borrowing state property doesn't go very far. For $40, students registered for fall classes can check out the laptop they've been using for the summer. That fee might be worth it, since PCs turned in for the summer will have their hard drives wiped clean and reimaged.
Now if the students have reached the end of the three-year lease period (three-year leases in four-year school programs still make me chuckle), students can buy the laptop for approximately $320. DSU CIO David Zolnowsky says "approximately," because at this point, DSU is still trying to negotiate a buyout price with the finance company, which might just say "no deal" and demand all the computers be returned.
So consider that an avid computer user who keeps her Tablet PC with her all through the three-year lease will spend over $2000 on the lease on a machine that she could buy a comparable version of for $1250 on the open market.
Compare that with my experience. As a graduate student, I'm exempt from the Tablet requirement. I have my trusty HP laptop that cost me $600 or so in September 2006. I could buy a new laptop each year for the same price of renting from DSU, and the equipment is mine to do with as I please. Plus, I don't have to stand in line with 2000+ other students at the end of each semester to check in my machine.
DSU and the Board of Regents would serve South Dakota students much better by letting them buy and maintain their own computers rather than subjecting them to these bloated and unpredictable lease agreements. At SDSU, the eSDSU Laptop Center offers students a choice of Gateway and Apple laptops. SDSU students can get an E-295C fully loaded with a four-year onsite parts and labor warranty for $1,844.
The SDSU wireless network apparently has no problem handling all sorts of different brand computers logging on (just like the DSU network: we grad students have a wide array of brands, and we all use the network just fine). SDSU even offers an unsecured public access network that visitors can use -- obviously, no tech compatibility fears there!
I have my leftist leanings, but the Regents' computer socialism isn't providing the best value for student dollars. Require computers in the classroom if you must, but let students decide which machines they're going to use.
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Update 2008.05.06 08:27 CDT: We have a deal! DSU and the finance/lease company making a killing on these computers have agreed to sell the used M275 Tablet PCs to students for $200. Students will also pay $12 sales tax.
I was part of the first freshmen class when the tablet pc's were implemented. After the 3 year lease program I was able to buy out my tablet for $25. However during my senior year I was required to "lease/rent" one of the M295's. An opt out option was made to us seniors but I was denied when they found that my bought out tablet was my only computer. Perhaps there are some software costs but if Cory is able to use his personal computer maybe the software isn't a big issue. If we can buy them so cheap, why aren't they more affordable for students especially since SDSU offers a program for FOUR years at the cost of roughly $1850 and DSU's lease program is roughly $1920 for only THREE years. The math is easy; who's making a profit at DSU?
ReplyDeleteFinally, something we agree on Cory! I too was in the same boat as anonymous. I paid approximately $1,715 for a tablet which sold on the market for about $1,100 new over the course of three years. Then I was required to lease an M295 for $640 for my senior year. I just bought a Dell Vostro 1400 for $700 as my new post-graduation laptop. WMCI is a total rip-off.
ReplyDeleteWho makes the rules on these complete utter rip-offs for students who are already hard pressed to pay for college? This is a very sad situation and should be addressed by the legislature next year, or even sooner. Why do they need tablets when a plain computer will do? I think there's some collusion between the colleges and some computer companies. Where's the investigation on this???
ReplyDeleteAnd making students lease a computer for three years and turn around and have to buy or lease a computer for the final year? Come on, now, I'm not the brightest bulb on the block, but even I can see there's something fishy going on here.
Nonnie
You still have to lease a new laptop even after buying the old one? That's utterly crazy. SDSU is obviously offering a better deal for its computers: lower price, longer service term, more options, and just flat fairer.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is looking at enrolling at SE Tech. They require a computer, but it's included in the cost of the two year program. At the end of the program, the computer is his. That, to me, seems like a much more logical option.
ReplyDelete