Strictly speaking, Florida's computer requirement does not force students to purchase computers. Nor does it require professors to incorporate computers in their lessons. But students will be expected to have the access and tools that a computer can provide. Some students feel that the requirement is an unfair additional cost, especially when some can barely afford textbooks and fees. But since most students buy computers anyway, the complaints have been muted.
Students are free to choose their own brands, configurations, and operating systems.
The computers must also have modems or network cards that allow them to connect to the campus network and the Internet. The policy recommends that students bring a printer, although the university has some public-use printers, which students can use for a fee. This fall, the requirement will apply to freshmen and juniors. By the fall of 1999, it will apply to everyone. Computing requirements in individual majors already cover most upperclassmen, administrators note.