Last year our lovely university decided to jump on the bandwagon with yet another environmentally conscious program. UPrint has swept across the world, from Illinois State University to the University of Manchester, England, with tremendous force. Â
If you can recall back to last year, our UPrint service was free of charge. It was a test run for what was to come. This year, though, tuition has gone up and printing now costs money! What is that about? Whether it’s 10 cents to print or a single penny, the student population sees this as a travesty.
The concept is excellent, but the implementation by the UM administration is just short of terrible. Students are confused are about why they are being charged, how much they are being charged, and some don’t even know how to use it. What if you print 20 pages when you mean to print two? It seems a little unfair. There should be some type of online training session through MyUM. That would clear up a lot of controversy. Â
But with the bad, there is some good. Paper is certainly spared with this innovative concept and there is no more waiting in line to print. Remember the days of waiting behind the biochem major printing out 350 pages of notes… not any more. Those biochem majors might have to go find new methods of facilitating their printing needs. Imagine spending $25 every time you needed to print out notes – fun fun.
So although you may be infuriated by the sadistic pleasure the administration takes in getting every penny they can get their hands on, enjoy the pleasure of printing on your own time. And please, print responsibly.