Technology fees spread out around campus

Asking any student on campus where they think their technology fees are going will most likely yield confused answers about the computer network or updating antique computer hardware.

The real answer is that the technology fee students pay is only a small part of a much larger financial structure, governing anything related to technology that is bought and used by Rowan University, according to officials.

“The student technology fee is actually an instructional technology fee and it pays for almost anything instructional,” said Associate Provost of Information Resources Anthony Mordosky. “Each year, portions are taken out of the fund and go to everything from upgrading computers on a four-year cycle or upgrading our network.”

But that’s not the only thing the fee can go to. Parts of the fund that students pay into can go the library, college deans and, occasionally, student affairs.

“We try to make it so every student will see, feel or touch what we put into it. [The] regular Internet bandwidth that students use recreationally is part of the fund, but we give priority to anything students will use directly for learning,” Mordosky said.

The fee itself changes year to year, but occurring expenses like Adobe and Microsoft software remain constant.

One of the most constant strains on the budget is for the Internet connectivity used for recreation by students.
Since 2005, the school has gone from a 60 megabite connection to 250 megabite connection in order to meet bandwidth needs.

Still, the connection is generally slower than what students can normally get from home. In order to reach that quality, the department would have to change it to a 2.5 gigabyte connection.

“We also try to maintain a reasonable upgrade path,” Mordosky said. “Every four years we consult with an outside company to find out what needs to be upgraded.”

While the instructional technology fee is used for a wide variety of things, it is separate from lab fees paid by engineering and science students.

“I thought it was used for new stuff like classes and lab equipment,” said Anthony Reid, a sophomore health and exercise science major. “Being a biology major, I thought it went to things like centrifuges, big lab stations and pumps.”

With software and music piracy on the rise, the Information Resources department is battling outside entities to protect students from being sued by anti-piracy groups.

“I get lots of e-mails from groups like the RIAA. What we usually do is first e-mail the student and ask them to remove whatever it is from their computer,” Mordosky said. “If we get a second e-mail, we have to shut off the student’s Internet connectivity and investigate the matter.

“If we don’t, the school can get sued. Since we are considered an Internet service provider, we are obligated under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to enforce the rules.”

The department has been reluctant to shut off specific students’ connectivity because of the need for students to learn.

“We allocate out the funds every year to upgrade technology used by the students, but instructional technology will always have priority over recreational stuff,” Mordosky said.