I t is unfair to require that all college students must be techsavvy. Personally, I am not crazy about computers. Sure, I know howto turn them on and access the Internet, but I have no idea what todo when something goes wrong. And something ALWAYS goes wrong!

When I started at Sacramento State last week I thought that allI would have to do is use Word for papers and Google for research.My professors have different plans for me. Some post their syllabionly on the Internet, and even worse, the only way to access theirhomework is by downloading it off their website.

I am not against technology, but I am against the idea that Ineed to be a computer genius to go to college. I have friends thatcan build a computer and I have friends that don’t evenunderstand the concept of the Internet, which makes them evendumber than I am when it comes to being computer literate.

I took two of my more computer literate friends to help me buythe computer that I am using to write this article. They insistedthat I buy it piece by piece. They told me that since my father waswilling to spend as much as I wanted on my computer, I should takeadvantage and get the best computer as possible. Now they arejealous of my computer and the huge flat screen monitor I bought.They tell me how I could do great and illegal things with mycomputer, and all I’m ever able to tell them is, “Checkout my new Minesweeper score.”

Now when a teacher assigns some homework that can only beaccessed on the web, shouldn’t that teacher make sure thateveryone will be able to get to that site? Yes, there are computerson campus, which still doesn’t make everyone capable of usingthem.

In high school, I needed to pass a computer class in order toget my diploma. If I remember correctly the only things I had to doto pass that class were show basic knowledge in Word and Excel.High school teachers made sure that I had a full grasp of Wordprocessing, but they should have taught me how to find things onthe Internet without having to ask that smug jerk, Jeeves.

I find myself at a double disadvantage. You would think thatsince I don’t have the computer skills to go and find what Ineed that I must be a guy who spends a lot of time in the library.No, I am really lazy.

Lately what I am trying to do is be around my friends in theirnatural habitats. It is really interesting from an outsiders view.They’re capable of downloading programs, mounting virtualCDs, and even carry little memory card thingy’s on their keychains as geeks will do.

Sometimes they complain about how I have a nicer computer thanthem, that I am a computer “Scrub” and don’t useit correctly. Most of the time I reply by saying, “Maybe ifyou spent less time on the computer and more time being not poor,you would have enough for a nicer computer.”

One thing that does anger me about those with knowledge ofcomputers is them being so conceited. Like when I ask someone,”How do I move that file from your computer to mine?”Their response is something to the effect of, “you mean youdon’t know?”

I guess I’m going to have to get used to all of thistechnology or quit school.

Hmm?