Kevin E. Smith

kesmith@mtsu.edu

Ed Kick

Sociology/Anthropology

N/A

Peck Hall 320

Replacement of Existing Technology

6 student stations and one laserprinter will be 7 years old in 2001F. They are increasingly unreliable and cannot be further upgraded -- even installation of software upgrades has been problematic. Replacement is a critical need for continued lab operation and provision of classes.

PH320 is a computer lab/classroom (18 student+1 instructor station) shared by the Departments of Political Science, Social Work, and Sociology/Anthropology. The departments offer 7-8 technology-based stats and methods classes each semester (150-180 students/semester) in PH320. Several hundred additional students use the lab during open hours for computer assignments, wordprocessing, etc. Six computers and one laserprinter will be 7 years old in Fall 2001 and are not functional for teaching needs. Replacement of these is a CRITICAL need -- without support, departments will probably have to cancel some courses required for degree programs. Also included are recurring costs for lab assistants, renewal of existing site licenses, and new maintenance software. Finally, the proposal includes a non-critical request for a central server. By shifting over the next three years to server-based software, maintenance and installation will be simplified. In addition, large datasets and some programs would be more accessible to undergraduate and graduate students through the campus network. Due to staffing and building security concerns, we are unable to keep the lab open 24-hours/day and on weekends -- a phased shift to a server would solve some of these issues.