Dartmouth has a rich history as a leader of information technology innovation within the world of higher education. The BASIC programming language, the precursor to modern e-mail, and even the notion of artificial intelligence were all conceived here. In 2002, Wired magazine named Dartmouth "Unplugged U."
Unfortunately, though, that reputation is currently at odds with the state of everyday technology on campus. The wireless network -- the very lifeblood of the College -- is now less functional than it was a few years ago. The GreenPrint system, on which students rely on a daily basis to complete the vast majority of their assignments, is as unreliable as ever despite recent "upgrades."
While the wizards at the College's computing services have continued to devote resources to pet projects like the ill-conceived DarTV switchover and the pilot program to enable (extremely limited) cell phone use over the wireless network, they are failing to address increasing student concern over fundamental infrastructure functionality.
Supposed system upgrades have recently been enacted, but it seems that their effects on end-users, especially students, were not carefully considered. Though well-intentioned, many of the so-called upgrades -- most visibly Dartmouth Secure and new GreenPrint stations -- have been accompanied by major inconveniences for the majority of network users.
Though students eagerly awaited replacement of the dated GreenPrint stations, many are disappointed by the slow print-rate and high jam frequency of the new machines. Printing is an essential service that the College should provide to the students, especially since the increased use of Blackboard forces students to print hundreds of pages per week. Additionally, GreenPrint stations continue to be scarce in high-traffic areas such as Collis, and those that do exist are broken more often than operational. If a machine is broken, why not swap it out for a functioning one? Surely the College has the resources to take care of broken printers at a reasonable speed rather than slap a sign on it for days at a time.
Ever since Dartmouth Secure replaced Kiewit Wireless last winter, users have experienced connectivity issues, even in central locations like the library. Now, almost a year later, many students who have installed Dartmouth Secure are nonetheless forced to resort to using Dartmouth Public, and in doing so give up the ability to use BlitzMail or GreenPrint or perform numerous other essential functions. Increased security is certainly a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of usability.
If the College is to maintain its reputation as a high-tech haven, it cannot forget the importance of fundamentals. Progress will quickly be overlooked if basic features fall by the wayside as a result. Dartmouth certainly has the resources to ensure this does not happen and should employ them accordingly.
