In this modern age, we’ve grown accustomed to the many technological luxuries available to us.
From smart phones to iPad’s, we just expect technology to be there and to work when we want it to. With Pierce moving farther into the digital age by integrating Moodle and the internet into our classes, having access to such technology as wireless internet has become a necessity.
Pierce is equipped with wireless access in more than 20 areas on campus, including the Freudian Sip, the Library and a large majority of the classrooms, but there are still many students who are unaware of its existence.
Did you know that there are actually three wireless networks available on campus? The three networks- PierceAPs, Faculty and Student- can be accessed by their respective users on any computer with online capability.
Obviously, the Faculty network is only accessible to faculty and staff members and the Student network is designed for in-class use only, according to Mark Henderson, Pierce’s College Information Systems manager.
Students interested in using the network during class can ask their professor for the password, and this is only if the professor allows computers to be used in their classrooms.
The PierceAPs network is open to everyone and does not require a login of any kind.
This being said, the wireless internet should have been publicized a little more. Maybe it was assumed students would just figure it out on their own, but that is probably not the case.
When the spring semester starts, professors should inform their students of its availability, whether or not they will allow computers to be used in class.
It’s a great accomplishment to have wireless internet for more than 30,000 people on a 42-acre campus, so why not brag about it a little?
And aside from bragging, it would be a shame to have this great luxury on our campus and not utilize it like we should.
Providing the students and faculty of this campus with free internet access is a big step toward adapting to the rapidly changing world around us.
(Eli Peun / Roundup)
