Laptop checkout program offered to students

Chief Information Officer Ann Burk said CSC President Ron K. Patterson initiated the project.

Patterson said the administration recognized the importance of accessibility and affordability for CSC students.

“We wanted to minimize one of the barriers to attaining a degree. Recognizing that not all students have access to technology, we developed a laptop checkout program to offer students to support their educational journey towards earning their degrees,” he said.

Burk said funding for the laptop initiative was provided by the computer replacement plan managed by the IT Department and the Chadron State Foundation through the Eagles Rise fund.

Chadron State Foundation CEO Ben Watson said funds the Foundation provided came from the Eagles Rise Student Relief Fund a vital initiative established in 2020 in response to meeting unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic.

“The fund remains a steadfast source of support for Chadron State students, offering assistance in moments of need and ensuring that their educational journey is not hindered by unforeseen challenges,” Watson said.

The program, available to local students, includes 12 laptops with cases and power cords.

Director of IT Client Services Kayla Junge said part of the need was for individuals who didn't qualify for the Project Strive laptop checkout program.

“Just last semester, there were two students who didn't qualify for that. I think this new program will be good for those individuals,” she said.

To be eligible to check out a laptop, students must be currently enrolled, and show their Eagle Card ID before completing the checkout form at the IT Help Desk in the King Library. Students will be required to turn in the laptop by the last day of the semester. If they need a laptop the following semester, students will repeat the checkout process.

Burk said IT asks about the general nature of the need on the checkout form.

“This is for tracking purposes so we can determine whether they're waiting for their laptop to be fixed, they don't want to use the labs on campus, or maybe they don't have a computer at home. Maybe they are an athlete and don't have a device they can use when they're traveling with the team,” Burk said.

Junge said the laptops are stored in a charging cart so laptops will always be charged when a student wants to check one out. Student workers at the IT Help Desk in the King Library will guide each student through the process which includes an information sheet with requirements to keep the laptop safe and secure and other reminders such as restarting the laptop if updates need to run.

Since items or settings saved on the laptops are temporary files, and will not be saved, much the same as lab computers, students should save all their work to a cloud service or an external device. CSC is not liable if flash drives or other devices plugged into the borrowed laptop are corrupted.

Junge said after each semester, IT will track the information and if there is a need for more laptops in the future, they will address that need.

“In the past, we haven't had a lot of requests for this. But it's a service we've never offered before. Hopefully, it will take some stress off of students if they have a computer failure or have a particular need,” Burk said.