To share your comments regarding these proposals with the President of MCSA, Tim Lindberg and the Director of Computing Services, Dave Loewi, please email: techfee@morris.umn.edu.
Russ Haywood (hayw0017@morris.umn.edu)
This year the computers that are due to be retired are 18 Dell Optiplex GX400 1.3 GHz systems with 17" CRT displays located in the Behmler 10 lab. These were originally Windows 98 systems. They have Pentium IV processors, 256 MB RAM, 9 GB HD, and were purchased in spring 2001. Also due to be retired are 16 Macintosh PowerMac G4 systems with 17" Apple Studio CRT displays. These Macs were originally OS 9.1 systems. The Macs have dual 533 MHz G4 processors, 512 MB RAM, 30 GB HD, and were purchased in spring 2001. Eight of these computers are located in the Behmler 10 lab, 4 in the Library outside of Room 350, 2 in the Student Center 24-Hour lab, and 2 in the Behmler 39 lab.
Computing Services is reducing the number of computers in the Behmler 10 lab in recognition of the fact that the utilization of this lab has decreased over the past few years. Additionally, Computing Services will re-locate one of the HP scanners now located in the Behmler 10 lab to the Behmler 39 lab so that scanning will be available for use in a public 24-hour lab. Thirty-four used computers will be sold, and the proceeds of the sales will be returned to the student technology fee account. (In 2004-05, sales of retired lab computers provided $11,640 in revenue to the tech fee account.)
By funding projects in Computing Services campus labs, ResNet, wireless access, and the UMM dial-in modem pool, we ensure that the student technology fee provides free and easy access for every UMM student and nobody is left out or left behind.Six G5 PowerMacs, at a price per system of $1840. Without specifying an exact configuration, these systems will be G5s with energy-saving flat screen displays (17" or larger), DVD or DVD-R/CD-RW combo drives, 1 GB or more RAM, and at least 1.8 GHz processors.
The all-University site license with Microsoft makes the Office suite software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and others) available at no charge, saving money for UMM.
Total allocation requested for Computing Services lab equipment replacements in the 2005-2006 academic year: $33,540.
ResNet was originally created with a subscription fee, but when the UMM student technology fee was implemented in 1997, ResNet became a free service for all students living on campus. The technology fee is the only source of funding for operations, maintenance, and system upgrades for ResNet.
ResNet is one of UMM's best and most popular services to students. In spring 2005, we find that the number of students in residence halls using it is close to 100%. By providing tech fee funding for ResNet, dial-in modems, and campus labs, we ensure that we are providing essential network and technology access to every UMM student.
By allocating student technology fee funding for the UMM modem pool, ResNet, UMM public labs, and wireless access points, we ensure that the fee's benefits and services are reaching every UMM student.
12 x ($360 access point hardware + $250 networking equipment + $200 installation costs)
By allocating student technology fee funding for the UMM modem pool, ResNet, UMM public labs, and wireless access points, we ensure that the fee's benefits and services are reaching every UMM student.
12 x ($360 access point hardware + $250 networking equipment + $200 installation costs)
The Digital Media Lab provides capabilities no other lab at UMM can offer. These services include editing video and audio projects with Final Cut Pro, graphic design for the web or print with Adobe Photoshop, audio editing with Audacity, AutoCAD drafting with MacDraft, and other utility programs. These projects require large storage space, and this lab utilizes the Apple Xserve RAID server purchased in 2003 with nearly 900GB of storage space.
This proposal is requesting the replacement of six (6) Macintosh G4 computers that were originally donated by the theatre discipline. The machines are inadequate to run the programs necessary used in the lab. The proposal would like to purchase (6) new G5 Macintosh CPUs, in addition to monitors.
The proposal also requests the purchase of two software packages initially proposed when the lab was designed: Adobe Creative Suite and Macromedia Dreamweaver. These programs will give students the ability to create and edit graphics for the web and for print.
The lab is an asset to UMM and has been used by hundreds of students in the past year and a half for their projects. The lab is open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday thru Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Fridays.
6 ADV-VGA Adaptor cable needed for second display @ $40 = $240
10 NEC AS70 AccuSync 17” Monitors @ $140 = $1,400
1 XRAID Drive for server = $500
12 Adobe Creative Suite Software Licenses Photoshop, InDesign, Ilustrator, Image Ready @ $195 + CD Media $24 = $ 2,364
12 Macromedia Dreamweaver @ $73.41 = $880.92 + CD Media $14.98 = $895.90
1 iMic USB Audio Adaptor = $40
Misc cables and infrastructure = $498
Total cost to complete project = $16,107.90
The Digital Media Lab provides capabilities no other lab at UMM can offer. These services include editing video and audio projects with Final Cut Pro, graphic design for the web or print with Adobe Photoshop, audio editing with Audacity, AutoCAD drafting with MacDraft, and other utility programs. These projects require large storage space, and this lab utilizes the Apple Xserve RAID server purchased in 2003 with nearly 900GB of storage space.
The proposal requests the purchase of a large format Xerox Color Laser Printer. This will give students the ability to print assignments in the lab after hours, after Duplicating Services has closed. The printer uses media up to 12”x18” in size.
The lab is an asset to UMM and has been used by hundreds of students in the past year and a half for their projects. The lab is open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday thru Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Fridays.
By August of 2005, eight of the computers in the Hasselmo LTC will be five years old, and eight will be three years old. I plan to renovate the LTC to serve a dual purpose, both as the language computing facility it has been since its inception and as the only computing lab available to the general population in the Humanities Building.
To realize this vision, I am requesting funds to:When I arrived to assume the role of Director of the Hasselmo LTC in 2002, a Technology Fee Proposal had been approved and was waiting to be disbursed. This grant allowed me to purchase eight new Mac G-4s, or half of the computing lab (my predecessor had established replacement of alternating halves of the lab every two years). This alternating schedule brings significant expense: since all 16 machines must be compatible, I must buy a license for an upgrade for eight machines every two years. This particular proposal requested customized machines that did not include a request for storage devices that students use most readily (floppy drives). The configuration included only zip drives, and while the older machines included 100mb zip drives, the newer machines were only available with 250mb zip drives. The former director of Computing Services denied my request to change the configuration of the machines to purchase what would be most useful to students, insisting that I had to respect the exact terms of the grant as formulated by my predecessor.
With the help of two fabulous Morris Fellows, I have done my best to maintain a functional facility, but since the LTC is currently not on the campus network (and I am using one of the computer stations as a server to the other 15) its stability is questionable at best. These various issues are compounded by the simple fact that the LTC is a Mac lab on a largely PC-user campus: an informal poll of some foreign language students suggests that 1 in 9 students regularly use Macs. The result is that, despite significant investment, this potentially state-of-the-art facility is underutilized.
The Hasselmo Language Teaching Center will serve continue to serve first as a center uniquely equipped to serve the needs of foreign language teachers and students. Currently, 7.5 % of UMM students are pursuing a foreign language Major or Minor (according to data from the Registrar). In any given year, about 17% of students complete their FL requirement or take courses beyond the requirement in a non-major/minor language (based on enrollment data for the current AY). In addition, foreign language teachers reserve the facility regularly to engage students in browser-based learning activities, in-class writing assignments, or to work with foreign-language software. Individual students also check in to work independently with materials that are otherwise cost prohibitive.
The Hasselmo LTC will also be open to the general UMM population. The work-study budget allocated to the LTC prevents it from being open 24 hours a day, but it will be available to students during hours of operation (about 45 hours a week), including some weekend hours. Like the other computing labs on campus, the LTC will not be available to individual users when it is reserved for a course.
In its new incarnation, the LTC Computing facility will consist of 16 computers, 15 Dells and one Mac (I will keep one of the machines currently running for foreign language faculty members who are Mac-users). In addition to proofing tools in a wide range of languages, software programs, audio cds, and two project development stations (the Mac and one Dell), the LTC computing lab will offer the same software package that is available in other labs on campus.
I realize this switch, if approved by the committee, comes at significant expense, but I believe it is worth it because a PC lab will better serve UMM students. For the computer configuration below, I request limited flexibility in purchasing so as to be able to buy the computer best suited to student needs at the time of purchase (July-August 2005) and to match the particular specs of other labs on campus (to make a possible transition to the campus network easier). That said, I do not intend to spend more than $1,500 per machine, and will make every effort to spend less to get what students need while optimizing functionality for foreign language activities. Thanks to the university’s contract with Microsoft, the LTC will offer the same Office suite available in other campus labs at no additional cost.
Dell Pentium 4 Processor, 3.2 GHz processing speed or higher, 1G RAM, 17” flat panel analog monitor, CD-RW / DVD combo drive, *external floppy drive, firewire port, WindowsXP
*In my experience, floppy drives are rather fragile. Price difference bwtween internal and external is minimal, so I prefer an external drive that can be easily replaced, and at less expense.
Finally, this group of machines is intended to house (if not immediately) large, networked storage accounts, accessible from anywhere on campus, for all students, a service we are currently not providing. We would need a further small investment (for FY 2006-2007, approximately $2000 -3000) to provide such accounts for all students.
The sponsoring departments consider the acquisition of this new server suite very important; their long-term ability to develop for the web will be severely constrained without it. Student Affairs will provide funding for a nine-month staff appointment to support the development of Web database and student service-related applications.
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