I Watered Down DTH Home Page Speak now During last Friday's Board of Trustees meeting, the trustees, the guardians of the university, questioned Student Body President Reyna Walters about the need for student input on the Carolina Computing Initiative. Chancellor Michael Hooker proposed the initiative to propel the university into the 21st century. According to the proposal, students must purchase a computer when they enter the University, beginning in 2000. The student body did not request administrators to force them to buy a computer.
Students deserve the right to voice their perspectives before spending money on a luxury product.
Computers, while becoming more prevelant in academic life, still count a s an unnecessary expense for many families. So when University officials proposed the computing initiative, conceived without student input, some students raised warning flags. These students realize the tremendous financial burden a college education causes. They know the initiative will not affect them, but they also understand they must defend students who have not even thought about applying to UNC yet. Students will also ground technology-happy officials who look to computers as the solution to today's educational pitfalls.