USG plans to use allocations to purchase new computers

Caitlin Restelli

The Undergraduate Student Government is requesting use of allocations to purchase new computers for directors, senators and some student organizations.

Justin Pierce, executive director of USG, said after seeing there was a lack of allocations requests being made by the student organizations, they decided to vote to shift the money toward computer purchases.

“Most of the work done in this age, obviously, is all digital,” said Pierce. “So we need good computers.”

Last week, the USG Senate voted in favor of requesting permission to use allocations to buy computers.

Pierce said USG held off on making the purchase before last semester ended because “we wanted to see how many allocations requests we were going to have.”

Early next week, USG will submit a letter to Gregory Jarvie, vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, to re-appropriate $37,000, part of the money

previously set aside for student organizations, to purchase the computers.

USG updated their computers four to five years ago. Recently, about a dozen directors, senators and student organizations complained about computer issues.

If the request is approved, those who complained will be the ones receiving the new computers.

USG decided to provide two or three of the old Dells to students for their own use in the student organization center, which is housed on the first floor of the Student Center. Students will be required to show their student ID to access the computers.

Emily Vaeth, freshman biology major, was pleased with the decision. “It’s a good use of our money if students are benefiting from it,” Vaeth said.

The other Dells left over will either serve as extra computers around the offices or be given to some USG representatives and student organizations that did not voice complaints.

The senate voted for the majority of the newly purchased computers to be iMacs. Pierce said he wants to buy 80 percent iMacs and 20 percent Dells.

“(Apple products are) less of a headache than Dells,” said Pierce, senior finance major. “But I wanted to still get 20 percent of the Dells just because some people aren’t really iMac literate.”

Pierce said he realizes the money is coming from the student activity fee included in every student’s tuition, so “we try to responsibly use that money.”

Contact Caitlin Restelli at [email protected].