BU Technology Fee: Explained
*Editor’s Note: This article was written by Marc Boyer.*
One of the higher priced fees that Bloomsburg University students pay is the Technology fee. This year students paid $232. This is set by the Pennsylvania Board of Governors and divided up amongst the students. The fee is used to keep technology and software up to date. Technology can grow obsolete overtime. To prevent this Associate Vice President of Technology, Wayne Mohr, has created a 5-year plan to keep this technology fresh. This way the hardware and software is the most up to date so students can learn without the stress of slow technology.
Mohr described this fee as the “technology fee.” Mohr described that the Pennsylvania State Board of Governors decides how much money each PASSHE affiliated school will receive to go towards technology each year. This fee is divided up between all the students, which results in student’s technology fee.
From the beginning of his career at Bloomsburg University, Mohr and his team had the common goal, “to make sure that every tech that touches students in any way is in good condition and helps them succeed. And tech doesn’t last forever.” To keep the technology new, he created a five-year plan to map out when each piece of tech is to be updated. “The first thing we did was take inventory of everything.” This included every piece of technology scattered throughout Bloomsburg’s campus.
Mohr described that he has learned to anticipate problems, whether that means a decrease to the technology fee from the state or when someone from the university asks for a “one off.” Mohr described one offs as when someone asks for something to be bought that’s not in the five-year plan. This can be an online textbook that the library needs or if a piece of technology breaks.
Along with all this, the technology fee also helped employ up to 3 members of staff. Their job is to help with the scheduled refreshes, as well as provide help with technology issues. Sophomore Economics major, Jeff Metzler, described one of the technology issues that may arise as being the WiFi on campus. “I can never get it when I’m down by Kehr or the Commons,” Metzler described.
Overall, Bloomsburg University students seem to be satisfied with the technology on campus. Transfer student Erin McQueen said, “Compared to the community college that I came from, the technology here is integrated nicely throughout campus.”
The technology fee is one of the more expensive, yet rewarding, fees that students pay. The money has been spent in beneficial ways, bettering the education of BU students one piece of technology at a time.
