By Ari RichmanSpecial to the Chronicle
The “Where’s Waldo” puzzle of our campus could very well be the search for Pride Printers. These printers often seem to be in scattered, inconvenient locations, and the locations that students know about are often overcrowded.
According to Hofstra University students, one of their top complaints is the unreliability of PridePrint when students need the printers most.
Jenna Razeq, a Hofstra sophomore from Ronkonkoma, N.Y., has been at odds with campus printers since the beginning of her college career. Last spring semester, when Razeq went on an adventure to print out a paper for class, she first approached a Netherlands residence hall printer, which was not working. Next she went to the to the Student Center printer, where the line was too long; to the library, where the printer showed she had no print releases. This year, she has had similar troubles with the PridePrinter in the Nassau/Suffolk residence hall when it stopped working and suddenly disappeared for a week. The solution to the disappearance was simple: walk to the Student Center to print instead of having the convenience of printing in her residence hall. Razeq’s solution is to “have a PridePrint in every academic building, every residence hall and Hofstra USA.”
Sophomore Emily Cisternino from Smithtown, N.Y. has had similar experiences with the unreliable printing on campus. Cisternino was unable to print in Breslin or Memorial Hall one day because both printers were broken. Instead, she walked to the only reliable printers on campus: the Student Center, Hammer Lab and Axinn Library. Traffic in these areas are high because students are unaware of where other printers can be found on campus. Like Razeq, Cisternino’s solution is to “have more printer locations known to the students and check up on the printers more often so they won’t break down.”
Collectively, Hofstra’s student complaints have led many to look for a greater availability of Pride Printers and better maintenance for those the school currently has. According to the Director of Student and Faculty Computing Services, Judith Tabron, Student Computing Services tracks these complaints when they are made aware of them. SCS reports how long it takes to solve a problem and where the problem took place. Unfortunately, when students have difficulty with the printer system, many complain instead of reporting a problem.
How easy is it to contact the SCS Department about a problem?
“Text us saying which Pride Print isn’t working, and we will text back right then, and deploy someone to go look at the printer,” Tabron said. Next to each printer is a standing sign, giving students a number to text to report a problem. Yes, it’s that easy. There are two to three staff members ready for the text to help students fix their Pride Printer. Another option they offer to answer questions is thee Facebook group, "Hofstra SCS."
Three years ago, PridePrint didn’t exist. Student Computing Services changed computer lab printing to accommodate both PCs and Macs. In their fourth year of the system, they are adding more printers each year, including a Pride Printer in Stuyvesant Hall this semester. Altogether, there are 35 printers in 28 locations.
So before you give up on Pride Print and buy your own printer, send the Student Computing Services a text with your problem and they will be more than happy to help you resolve the problem.