The rhythmic hum of copy machines spitting out last-minute school projects, term papers and master’s theses will be forever silenced next week.

After more than two decades, the Sacramento State Copy Graphics Center will close its doors on Dec. 14, leaving students without a vital campus resource.

University Enterprises Inc. announced the closure in last week’s Monday bulletin.

“A combination of increasing maintenance costs and budgetary constraints played a significant role in making this very difficult decision,” according to the bulletin.

UEI Executive Director Jim Reinhart said the decision to close the Center was made because the center is not making money despite attempts to grow profits. Purchasing new equipment needed to keep it open would be too expensive.

It’s true the center is losing money. As much as $20,000 a year according to UEI. However, students still need the center to do their schoolwork.

“I’m very sad and disappointed. Granted, not a lot of people use it but it’s like, ‘What do I do now?’ I’m kind of at a loss,” said senior graphic design major Kari Clark. “Basically, all the graphic design students in my class are wondering why it’s being closed. It’s going to make my life a little more stressful because I can’t print good quality work when I need it on campus.”

In the modern “paperless” age, not as many people use the center as before. But it is still important to music majors who use the center to print custom sized sheet music for orchestra classes. Professors use it to print reading packets for their students. Graphic design majors use the center’s high quality printers to print daily updates of their graphics projects. There’s even a public notary in case you feel like writing up a deed.

And all this is located in a major part of campus. This convenience is one of the major reasons students prefer the Copy Graphics Center over its proposed alternative, the campus-owned print shop Reprographics Services.

While students do use Reprographics Services, especially graphic design students working on their senior projects, it doesn’t come close to having the same resources of the Copy Graphic Center.

First, it isn’t well known and is inconveniently located. Reprographics Services is situated on the edge of campus behind the soccer fields, near the old health center, but not quite.

It is not on any orientation tours and is far from the high-traffic, high-visibility location the Copy Graphic Center occupies.

And UEI is aware.

“I think, maybe they’re not as well-known because the location is not as good as Copy Graphics,” said Reinhart.

As well as its inconvenient location, paying for Reprographics Services is incredibly frustrating for students in a hurry.

“I don’t believe they’re set up to take cash or credit card,” said Angela Rader, director of marketing services for UEI.

To pay for services, Reinhart said students would need to get a receipt from Reprographics Services and pay for it in a hall halfway across campus. Then, students would have to take another receipt back to Reprographics Services where they could get their printing done – not an ideal situation when you’re running late for class.

To make matters worse, Reprographics Services doesn’t offer all the same services the Copy Graphics Center does. For example, it doesn’t offer a public notary or graduation announcement printing.

Reprographics Services’ largest flaw is it is not set up like a business, but more of an office. Reprographics Services is smaller and does not have a cash register, counter or any of the elements that make the Copy Graphics Center a business.

Reprographics Services does not seem to be able to handle the volume of customers seen at the busy Copy Graphics Center, an issue that will undoubtedly increase in severity when finals come around and demand for printing rises.

Then there is the question of what is to be done with the soon-to-be-empty Copy Graphics Center space.

According to UEI, options are being explored but no agreements or contracts have been signed.

However, speculation has arisen questioning whether Java City will be the only brand of coffee on campus.

According to UEI – “While there are rumors circulating regarding Java City’s operations on campus, they will continue to have a strong presence on campus. No contracts regarding Java City’s future operations on campus have been executed at this time.”