Students, enjoy the unlimited free printing in campus IT pods while you can.
Starting in the spring, Information Technologies is imposing a limit on the number of sheets of paper students can print.
The printing quota restriction is an effort to reduce waste on campus and discourage students from excessive printing, said IT Director Moira Gerety. She said the printing limit should compel teachers to re-evaluate their printing requirements and alter their teaching habits so students will not be affected academically by the printing costs.
“We very much hope that faculty will look at what they are requiring kids to print,” Gerety said. “It becomes a cost shift from academic departments to IT, because it’s not fair to IT to assume that we can just continue to absorb the impact of professors deferring printing responsibilities to their students, who in turn use an IT lab.”
The new restrictions will replace the policy in campus libraries, where students have to pay to print.
She said each student will get $10 of Lobo Cash that can only be used for printing. Students can print 250 pages for free, but after that printing a single-sided sheet will cost $0.05, and a double-sided sheet will cost $0.08.
ASUNM Senator Laz Cardenas said he supports the concept of sustainability but is concerned about the academic effects of the printing policy change.
“I don’t think the idea itself is bad. We do need to conserve paper,” he said. “But for the students that need to print out those papers because the teachers require them to — if they don’t have a print out copy they get marked off and their grade suffers. They could fail the class because of it.”
Gerety said IT gathered data on student printing habits, and the data shows that most students will not be affected by the regulation.
“Eighty percent of students were printing less than 250 pages a semester and the majority of prints were from the remaining 20 percent of the users,” she said. “Most students won’t even notice the change. It will be those folks that have been excessively printing that will see the impact.”
Student Meredith Porter said the limit is reasonable for her printing needs.
“Most semesters I wouldn’t get anywhere near 250 pages,” she said. “I’ve seen people printing 50 pages at a time, and who knows how often they do that. I think that’s kind of excessive.”
One student printed 50,000 pages in one semester, Gerety said, and it is that type of behavior that does not fit with UNM’s sustainability goals.
“In the end we are looking for sustainability — not just budget-wise, but from a green perspective,” she said. “We just want to cut down on the abuse.”
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Student Patille Bingham said the restrictions might be tough for money-strapped students.
“I don’t think we should be charged to print because of everything else we already have to pay for,” she said. “Some people can’t afford printers, so they have to come here. I know I go to the Lobo Lab all the time.”
Gerety said no student fees support IT services, and the department is willing to examine the success of the printing quota and work with students and faculty to improve the policy.
“We want to work through any issues that this program causes,” she said. “We are open to communicating with students, with faculty, with whoever. We look for that engagement.”
