Meghan Harmening | Opinion Co-Editor

In the past couple of weeks there has been a lot of talk about getting rid of the laptop program here at Buena Vista University (BVU). Current students are extremely worried about having their laptops taken away. For reassurance, administration has clarified that nothing has been decided yet. No decision has been made either way as to whether or not the laptop program will be discontinued. In addition, if the program is discontinued, rest assured the current students would still be able to keep their laptops until they graduate. The program change would really only affect incoming students starting for the entering class of 2015.

After my article a couple of weeks ago, I realize that the article did not fully address all of the facts, and now that I have more knowledge, I would like to address some of the positive alternatives we could suggest to the administration instead of the laptop program.

The first potential alternative I could see benefiting the students is to have specialized computer labs in each of the different schools. The schools of business, education, science, and social science all need different computer programs to benefit and supplement their learning. Having a few specialized desktop computers that include the programs needed for that specific school could really allow students to further their knowledge and experience within their major. By letting students use these programs, they can focus their studies and even use the programs to aid in developing a higher caliber of research project.

Another alternative that could be of significant value to the students here at BVU is having one building designated as the center for student life. Here at BVU we don’t have a select spot where students can go to just hang out. It seems as though our residence halls are for relaxing, and the library is for studying. Why not have a place where students can grab a snack, hold meetings for various student organizations, watch television, play games, or study?

Finally, I think it is important that if the laptop program is discontinued indefinitely, that programs such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader, etc. are provided for students either at a discounted price or for free. If the administration decides that what is best for both the school and students is to discontinue the laptop program, I believe that eliminating the burden of purchasing even more programs for school would benefit the students immensely.

Overall, I do not think that scrapping the laptop program is a bad thing necessarily. It really depends on how the administration handles the change and grandfathers in the current students. If the school could implement even some of these suggestions, I think students would be extremely satisfied with the decision to eliminate the laptop program.