Ga. Students to Pay Tech Fees Next Year - Georgia public colleges to charge technology fee - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Black Issues in Higher Education, June 8, 2000

ATLANTA -- Students on Georgia's public college campuses will pay a technology fee next fall, but what they get for their money will vary widely depending on where they go to school.

Many students will be able to register for classes online and connect to the Internet in their dorm rooms and classrooms, and some will even be issued laptop computers.

But at other colleges, they will find waiting lists to use campus computer labs and will have to stand in long lines to register for class.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey of Georgia's 34 public colleges and universities found most campuses are quickly becoming wired environments of learning.

Responses to the survey also show some schools don't yet have a detailed plan for how they will spend the $10 to $75 per semester technology fees.

The survey followed the University System of Georgia Board of Regents' approval of new technology fees for 28 public colleges. The other six already charged a fee.

Among those with a head start on providing technology are Clayton College & State University and Floyd College, rated ninth in the nation among the most-wired two-year school by the Yahoo! Internet search engine.

The schools' technology fees of $300 per semester have been criticized by some, but students get to use laptops and have access to extensive help. At Clayton, 17 special technology classrooms are being provided for student use.

"They are very wired," said Tom Marshall, an information technology major at Clayton. "It's really nice, especially when you're in the field. You use the notebook computers a lot."

At some schools, like Georgia Tech, dorms are wired so that there is a computer port for every bed. Georgia Tech -- which according to Yahoo! ranked 15th among most-wired among research universities -- requires all incoming students to have their own computers.

About 10 percent of universities nationwide have such a requirement, and the idea is spreading in Georgia.

Beginning this fall, the State University of West Georgia will require students to have access to a computer. Other schools, such as Valdosta State and Georgia College and State University, are considering such a requirement for students in specific majors, such as nursing.