MCMA facilities face digitilization deadline, funding in question Jennifer Wig Daily Egyptian From crowded television studios and office space in the hallway to cinema majors working in a dungeon, the Communications Building is feeling its age. And the analog equipment is not exactly up to date anymore, as high definition digital televisions are squeezed into crowded rooms full of wires and screens. But the Communications Building must undergo the necessary digital facelift because the changes needed are required by the federal government. The College of Mass Communications and Media Arts is required by federal mandate to complete the digitalization process by May 1, 2003. In addition, they must continue managing and teaching the use of analog equipment.
Digitalization is the process of converting from analog equipment to digital.
The difference between analog and digital equipment is that analog equipment responds to physical change, whereas digital electronics convert sounds and images into electronic bits to be read by a laser beam. Officials have also applied for federal aid through various programs and are working to accumulate funds through the Friends Board, a local effort working on a letter-writing campaign. The money must be in place July 1 or it will be impossible to meet the 2003 deadline. According to Jyotika Ramaprasad, interim dean of MCMA, if the school misses the deadline, it could lose its license, which is owned by the Board of Trustees. If the college lost its license, students would still be able to take classes and receive their education, but without the hands-on laboratories and equipment.