Procrastination has come back to bite you again. You jave three hours to finish a paper, but you are stuck waiting in what seems to be a never-ending line at the computer lab.

It’s not unusual for students to see that long line wrapping around the computer lab located on the second floor of the library. Neither is it unusual to run into the Academic Information Resource Center building to find all the computers completely full.

Many students on campus bring laptops to avoid these problems. Those who don’t own laptops may run into problems.

The dilemma for these students is often that all the labs are full, or they are not aware of the resources offered around campus.

Senior criminal justice major, Jonathan Verano, said he struggles on days when labs are full and he needs quick access to a computer during his short breaks.

“At times it’s been difficult not having a laptop and not having immediate access to computers or Internet,” Verano said. “I often have to do online quizzes that are due for particular classes. I’d have to wait for a longer break to use the labs, taking into account that waiting in line costs me more time.”

Verano said he feels at times that there are not adequate resources available for him at school to get his work done. He hates when the library and AIRC labs are always crowded and full. Over the course of time, due to technological advances, teachers and professors require certain activities or work to be done online and most papers must be typed.

So the question arises to many students, “Do I need a laptop or will my school provide me with the resources I need?” With prices ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, some students may struggle to afford laptops.

Senior criminal justice major,Chris Vallejos, saidhe feels that the school provides all the resources that he needs. “I’ve never felt that it was inconvenient not having a laptop,” Vallejos said. “Everything at school is provided for me so that I can save money. There are plenty of computers and there are books in the reserve book room so I don’t have to buy certain textbooks.”

Sophomore criminal justice major Estela Baltazar said she is happy having a laptop to bring to school. She said she feels that it is easier to have all of her work with her and not have to use the school computers. Shesaid she feels having to deal with sending work to her e-mail to print is a hassle.

“I feel that it is easier to have my laptop on hand. It’s easier to type notes in class rather than write them. So it sucks when teachers say no laptops in class,” Baltazar said.

Baltazar said she always sees her friends running into problems when trying to use school computers. “They are always waiting in line and then they end up being late to class,” she said.

Many students hate seeing lines for the computer labs in the library or AIRC building. What they usually don’t know is that there are more labs located around campus.

There are open labs located in Mendicino Hall and Solano Hall. In Mendicino Hall rooms 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008, there are labs open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. In Solano Hall rooms 2001 and 2003 there are labs open on the same days from 7:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. There is also a computer workroom located on the second floor of the University Union. This room consists of about 10 computers and a print station.

Junior computer science major Dung Truong works as a computer lab assistant. Truong said, “People usually do not know about the labs in Mendicino or Solano. They automatically go to the library and AIRC because those are likely places for computer labs.”

Truong also said that a big reason why AIRC is always crowded is because the rules differ from other labs. In AIRC, talking and eating are allowed.

“Usually there is a rush and a long line around noon midweek but after that it slows down. There is also word about a new lab in the Union but it’s just a rumor and is not yet confirmed,” Truong said.

Truong said he feels many students are just not aware of the resources Sac State has to offer. He said that not having a laptop shouldn’t deprive any student of being able to work and for those who do have them, upgraded wireless is located all over campus.

Truong said, “People don’t take full advantage of SacLink. Most people think that it is just a user name and password to log onto CASPER to register for classes. In fact, there are many things that it has to offer. With a SacLink account you get a free e-mail address and account, free 20 hours of dialup Internet, 50 megabytes of server space and a U-drive.”

Many teachers use SacLink to send e-mails to their students and informative monthly bulletins or letters are often sent to SacLink accounts. The 20 hours of dial-up Internet is accessible from home for those who do not have Internet access. The 50 megabytes of server space means that there is space to save all types of documents and can be accessible from any computer, which is saved on the U-drive. “By visiting SacLink on the web, there is also an option to change your SacLink e-mail address to your personal e-mail so that all messages get forwarded to your normal account,” Truong said.

There are many prerequisites regarding the computer resources on campus that could benefit many students. Often there are express print stations so that students do not have to wait in line to simply print a document. When choosing to print a document, it is available at any printer in any lab around campus. So if a student clicks “print” on a computer in the AIRC lab, two hours later he can go into Mendicino 2003 and print that document. Print jobs stay on the server for up to four hours.

Also, for those who own laptops, there is a program available to download so print jobs can be sent to printers in the labs. With this program, instead of sending something to an e-mail then opening it up on a computer in the lab to print, a student can automatically print from his or her laptop. Another benefit for students is that five dollars is provided on each One-Card every semester. This money can be used to print documents in the computer labs. Many students think that the money will carry over every semester if it is not used, but it clears at the end of the semester.

Randy Luna, a health science major, carries his laptop with him to school most days.

“My laptop is convenient for me, especially when it’s my registration time and I happen to be in class. It really comes in handy at those times,” Luna said. “But usually I don’t need it much. If I knew about all of these resources earlier in my college career I would have definitely taken advantage of them, but I was never informed.”

Lunasaid he believes that mostly freshmen and sophomores are clueless about these assets.

“It is important that students are informed about these things,” Truong siad. “I think that freshman should be notified about it at orientation at least. All the information that students need to know is on line, if they knew to go there they would know. I didn’t know about the labs and resources until I started working here.”

Mindy Yuen can be reached at [email protected]