1
Chris Pifer
(pife0001@morris.umn.edu)
Proposal to purchase a Microtek Scanmaker 6700 flatbed scanner for The University Register.
The scanner currently being used by the University Register is over seven years old. It is pre-OCR technology, and cannot recognize typed characters.
35%-40% of advertising is submitted in hard copy and must be scanned. Likewise, 1-2 articles a week are submitted in hard copy and need to be re-typed by a staff member.
The current scanner is incapable of high quality scanning and often leaves advertisers unsatisfied with the quality of their ads. Some ads scan so poorly that advertisers are unwilling to pay for them, increasing our costs and leaving us more reliant on support from AFRC.
Likewise, the fact that our scanner is not OCR compatible means that every article submitted to us on paper must be re-typed by a staff member. Rarely is an article re-typed perfectly and often the minor mistakes drastically affect the meaning of the article.
This happened once this year and the results were close to disastrous.
These two things ultimately impact the overall quality of the newspaper, affecting hundreds of weekly readers, while reflecting poorly on the 40 staff members associated with the paper.
The Microtek Scanmaker 6700 is a midrange scanner designed for home office or small office. It is bundled with professional quality OCR software, which is generally sold stand-alone for about $200. It scans at true optical resolution of 4800 X 2400 over double the quality of previous scanner in less than half the time.
With the recent closure of the MRC Math computer lab, the shortage of computers in the University Register office has gone from annoying to truly problematic.
We currently have seven staff members that need computers capable of layout, and six computers that meet that requirement. More often than not, practical reasons dictate that for most sections, layout cannot be started until Wednesday afternoon or evening, and as a result, there is constantly, one editor that has to sit on their hands and wait for a computer to become available. This increases the already excessive time commitment expected from editors.
Currently, the entire newspaper is saved on a shared network drive, so it can be accessed from any of the computers. As a result, if network connection is lost, pages crash, sometimes corrupt, and you have to start again from scratch. This proposal would allow each editor to have their own computer, which can be customized to their needs. It will dramatically decrease network congestion because pages can be saved locally on the hard drive. Furthermore, without this computer, if our network hub dies on a Wednesday night we cannot access the network drive, and unless we could find a replacement, there would be no newspaper.
We have investigated several possible solutions throughout past years, thus far they have been ineffective and stopgap, the MRC lab closure has left no other option I can see.
The planned reconfiguration of mail services at UMM will involve three small servers and one large one. We propose that the costs be split between technology fee funding and central allocation by having the purchase of the three small servers come from the technology fee, and all remaining costs come from central University funding.
The three small servers will be Unix computers, probably from Sun, either
the Netra or SunFire line of equipment. The functions of the small servers
will be:
- Screening to prevent delivery of messages containing malicious (virus)
attachments.
- Blocking known spammers and running filtering to identify spam messages.
- Name resolution.
- Providing a local WebMail server in Morris to improve service to UMM
students.
UMM central (Computing Services) funding will pay for the large central server, which will run the actual processing of mail (proposed Sun E450 server). In addition, central funding will pay for software and ongoing maintenance needed for the mail upgrade. This will be a one-time allocation from student technology fee funds.
This year the oldest computers that are due to be retired are twenty Dell Dimension T-450 systems located in Behmler 10. These are Windows 98 systems with Pentium III processors that were purchased in 1999. These computers will be sold, and the proceeds will be returned to the student technology fee. (In 2002, sales of retired computers provided $1,100 in revenue to the fee account.)
We propose that the twenty new computers be installed in the lab on the third floor of Briggs Library, in order to accommodate renovations that are going to be made there. The renovations will create additional space for the Academic Assistance Center and Disability Services, while providing an expanded computer lab area on the other side of the hallway. Twenty new Windows XP computers will be located inside a newly enclosed area that will serve primarily as an open lab but will also be used for library instruction sessions benefiting all students. No regular classes will be permitted to schedule this special-use lab area. An additional four Macintosh computers (depending on space) will be located outside the enclosed area, for use when instruction sessions are occupying the room. The net total of 24 computers will be the same as the 24 computers currently located there.
This project takes advantage of classroom renovation funds that come centrally from the University administration. No student tuition or fees are being used to pay for construction or furniture in this modernization project.
Windows computers currently located in the Library lab were purchased in 2001. Since they are not the oldest systems, they will be moved over to the open Behmler 10 lab to continue in service to students for two more years.
By funding projects in Computing Services campus labs, ResNet, and the UMM dial-in modem pool, we are assured that the student technology fee provides free and easy access for every UMM student, and nobody is left out or left behind.
Wireless networking allows computer users with wireless network cards to connect to the UMM campus network, and from there to the Internet, without any wires or wall jacks. It can be a great convenience, especially for laptop and notebook computer users who may wish to work in many different places. Many people can access the wireless network at the same time, making it suitable for group projects and collaboration.
We propose to install wireless network access in ten new locations on the UMM campus during the 2003-2004 academic year. Specific locations will depend on site surveys, building infrastructure, and other factors, so they cannot be listed in detail at this point. At least half of the new locations will be in residence halls, with our hope to put at least one wireless area apiece into Indy, Gay, Pine, Spooner, and Blakely. Other locations that have been suggested include TMC and the Science Atrium.
We anticipate that the next few years will bring many new students to UMM who own laptops with wireless networking pre-installed. With success, we will continue expansion of wireless networking for several years, until this service is widely available across the UMM campus.
To acquire funds for the purchase of a new soundboard, cable, and case.
We are in need of upgrading to a new 32-channel soundboard. Our old board is over 10 years old, has only 16 channels, and does not meet the needs of many artists and groups that perform here. The new board we are looking at will double our input capacity and increase our mixing output as well. Performance groups are constantly getting more complex and are requiring equipment with more capacity to meet their needs. Twice this year we have had to change sound requests from groups to make things compatible with our soundboard's capacity. As a result, we ended up compromising parts of the performance, leaving both the audience and performers a little short-changed.
The Tech Crew supports all the student groups here on campus and the Performing Arts Series as well. This upgrade would benefit both the student body, and the professional artist who perform here at UMM. The soundboard is the nuts and bolts of any performance, so having a reliable board with more capacity will ultimately be very beneficial in our ability to better serve UMM students and artists growing needs.
Type of Soundboard: Yamaha GA32/12 mixing console.Necessary Accessories: Cable/Snake for connecting to sound equipment Case to store and transport mixing console
Mixing Console: $2,200.00
Cable/Snake: $825.00
Case: $675.00
Shipping: $115.00
Projected Cost: $3,815.00
To acquire funds for the purchase of an amplifier and four stage monitors for Edson auditorium.
Some of the most commonly requested pieces of equipment the tech crew uses are stage monitors. A variety of groups, ranging from talent shows to live bands to dance ensembles, all use monitors. At this point the tech crew has equipment to support four stage monitors, which is barely sufficient for most professional groups needs. Throughout this year and last year some of the highest profile groups including Ricardo Lemke, Spooncat, and Gospel Explosion all expected a minimum of 6-8 stage monitors, which we were unable to provide. This request would bring tech crew equipment up to minimal expectations for many of the groups we work with.
The tech crew serves all student groups on campus, and this equipment will potentially benefit a wide variety of these groups. Likewise, this equipment will specifically and directly affect the over a thousand students that attend live performances in Edson each year by improving the quality of these performances and leaving performers more satisfied. Furthermore, in as much as performances are a substantial public face for our campus to not only Morris, but also to potential students and to the national performing arts community, this equipment will have a wide variety of indirect positive impacts reaching beyond or campus alone.
The four monitors, and amplifier we are interested in purchasing match the equipment we currently use, with similar output characteristics and sonic character such that they will seamlessly integrate into our current system.
Crown Macro Tech 1202 amplifier: $1300.00
4 EV Force 1 Monitors: $218 a piece X 4 = $872
Total projected cost: $2172
As specified in last year's technology fee proposals, the next significant upgrade for ResNet is to make 100 mb/s (megabit per second) service available across the entire network. Currently ResNet is a 10 mb/s switched network. An increasing number of students are bringing computers to campus with 100 mb/s networking capability. Simultaneous upgrades are being made on the campus network that serves offices and classrooms. Networking at 100 mb/s provides greater capacity for such Internet services as streaming video, live voice chat, file transfers, and so forth.
Providing 100 mb/s network service requires us to replace most of the network switches located in each of the residence hall buildings. We estimate that the cost to provide this service to all connections on ResNet will total about $36,000 based on current pricing and discounts available from HP. We propose to complete this project over two years, requesting half of the funding through the student technology fee this year, and half next year. If prices increase over time, it's possible the project will be extended to three years.
ResNet is one of UMM's best and most popular services to students. In spring 2003, we find that the number of students in residence halls using it is approaching 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.
In the 2002-2003 academic year, general and specialized library instruction sessions reached 2,320 participants in 161 UMM classes. We estimate that library instruction sessions will make use of the lab for approximately 5% of its total open hours each year.
The lab will be reserved for specific hours during the day for classes such as scene design, video production, graphic art, and so on. Hours that are not scheduled for classes will be available for campus use by any student, student groups, faculty, and staff. Depending on budget conditions for the next few years it is anticipated the lab would be open from 8am until 10 pm. A scheduling system will be administered by Media Services that will allow students to schedule a time to use the lab. The reason for this approach is to assign server space for each project and to better accommodate individual student?s needs for particular software and hardware requirements.
As indicated above, the lab is available to the entire campus community and therefore the number of users is potentially over 2000. Realistically however, the number of students in courses that will use the equipment is around 170 to 200. This includes 4 disciplines that in total offer on average 9 different class sections per year. From past experience the Freshman Year Experience has used video production and editing quite extensively to produce video programs as their method of documentation. Last year 8 group totaling 56 students were involved is such activities. Scheduling became a big issue because only one workstation was available. In addition, there are a number of individual students that do video production for class presentations, independent film projects, and highlight videos.
Media Services will be responsible for maintaining the equipment in the lab. In addition, Media Services will make available to students various peripheral equipment such as digital video camcorders, still cameras, slide scanners, audio and video production equipment, and TV studio facilities . The plan is to quip HFA 23 with 12 workstations. The four disciplines and Media Services will provide most of the equipment for 6 stations. This request is for funding to equipment six additional stations with McIntosh G4 computers with super DVD drives, dual monitors, and software. For video production four digital video recorder/players and four video monitors are requested that can be checked out to users for their individual projects. A data projector is requested to allow display of computer images to an entire class. A server is requested to allow storage of large image and video files. Managing of media storage is more versatile with a server then external hard drives for each computer. The request for six (18 total) 17 inch computer monitors is to upgrade the six discipline computer to two monitors. Two monitors per station are desirable because the graphics and video software make extensive use of menus and pallets, which become hard to manage on a single monitor system. Also, these computers need to be installed with Final Cut Pro video editing software.
Total 35,551
Unfortunately this is our final year of funding and the grant has become more limited on what it can provide. The Division of Education is requesting 1/2 funding from the technology fee for the three additional access points that would be located in MRC and Education buildings because of the direct benefit to a large number of students on this campus. Our hope is that the sites proposed would meet the criteria of growing student demand for internet/network access in and outside of the classroom. It is our desire that these three access points would be used by more than just education students, but rather the entire campus.
The NTNT grant has always been more stringent on providing infrastructure. Only if we were partially funded would the grant be able to invest in this project. After the purchase and installation of the wireless equipment, we would relinquish the control to Computing Services so that it can be run in congruence with the rest of the campus.
This proposal will integrate a state-of-the-art information system that would take advantage of UMM's existing campus cable network and UMM's website for the dissemination of information, communication and events within campus. This 'Cougar Channel' will be utilized by students and student organizations for better event promotion, announcement of important information, facilitate original video programming, and to offer a broadcast television outlet otherwise not available to students.
To take advantage of the existing cable television network already in place at UMM, a broadcast solution called SCALA EdgeCastNet will be used to create, manage and deliver content 24 hours a day. SCALA EdgeCastNet is a server-based system that allows for easy data entry, scheduling, management and broadcast of a bulletin-board style television channel. It also has the ability to export the event and information data used on the message board during broadcast for integration into a specialized events calendar on the UMM website.
This project will:
As on other campuses, the visibility of information channels in public places around campus is important for visitors and students on campus. UMM has identified seven initial locations where it would be beneficial to have televisions permanently mounted. These locations are: Entryway to the Admissions Office, Student Center, RFC lobby, Science Building commons, Food Service, HFA hallway near theatres, and the Post Office.
To expand the reach of the system to the entire community, there have been casual discussions with the City of Morris, MediaCom, and Hometown Solutions about the possibility of UMM managing the Morris Community Channel. All three of these entities are in favor of such a proposal. This collaboration would mean approximately 3,000 cable subscribers served by MediaCom and Hometown Solutions, in addition to 182 dorm rooms and on-campus apartments currently subscribed to campus cable.
Some technology would make becoming the best speech team possible a little easier.
Stopwatches and countdown timers are tools that allow us to insure our speeches fit the time limit.
A tape recorder (and microphone) would allow us to record our speeches and give valuable feedback so we may refine our presentations. Each team member would be responsible for one audio cassette. At any time they could check out the tape recorder and record their presentations.
The PDA would be used by the Secretary to help record meeting minutes, store tournament information, record results, and keep track of appointments and contacts.
This technology would be used primarily by the speech team and stored in the forensics office. However, we feel that since much of this equipment is relatively inexpensive, the cost to overall student benefit ratio is justified. Any UMM student (who pays the student activity fee) may join the speech team at any time. Also, we feel we play an important role to the UMM community by representing this university to the region and nation. This relatively inexpensive technology would help us provide the best competitive forensics experience possible.
Total Request -- $314.91