Campus computer labs not to see extended hours, exam week an exception to rule

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The Grawn and Woldt computer labs will not have changes from their time of availability last year.

The only minor changes to the schedule this year will be an increase in hours during final exams week, said Jeff McDowell, Information Technology help desk manager. Hours during the middle of the week will remain the same.

Woldt and Grawn both have the same hours from last year and are similar in time. The only difference between the two is during the week Monday through Thursday, when Woldt is a 24-hour lab, Grawn is open from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.

The Grawn Hall computer lab, previously open 24 hours with the exception of some weekends, had its hours trimmed for each day of the week. It extended its hours for a brief period near the end of the fall 2009 semester.

“They’re going to be the same earlier on,” said McDowell. “On exam week, the weekends will be open 24 hours this year.”

The reason for the change during exam week is partly because of the Student Government Association.

“We made the change because SGA made the request on behalf of the students,” McDowell said. “I don’t anticipate any problem, we have a while to prepare for it.”

Last year, there were significant changes in hours at both labs. The Woldt computer lab, previously open 24 hours every day, had weekend hours cut back.

Since then, some students expressed the need for the labs at strange times of the day because of work or not having a computer at all.

“People’s schedules vary and computers break down,” said New Baltimore senior Grace Knoche. “Students also have trouble with their computers when they first get in.”

That is also another concern that was addressed to students, McDowell said. Because of the hasty moving process, students are unable to gain access from their own computer.

This year, the labs were opened earlier to accommodate those students, he said. Instead of opening on the first Monday of classes, they were available starting the Thursday before Welcome Weekend.

Some students, such as Twining junior Kyle Kovacs, no longer live on campus but still routinely use the labs.

“I usually use the Woldt lab on Mondays and Wednesdays in between classes,” Kovacs said. “It’s the printer that I need.”