The McCaskill computer lab is closing Fri., Nov. 12 to allow for temporary faculty offices in order for renovations to take place in Barstow.

The renovations being done to Barstow are creating a tight squeeze on several fronts. All of the faculty, lecture classes and labs that are currently in Barstow are being shifted to McCaskill until the start of next fall.

The McCaskill computer lab will be closing in order to create 15 different, temporary faculty and staff offices. This shift will be occurring throughout the semester, bit by bit, and the majority of the moving will be taking place in a matter of three days, Dec. 20 - 23. This physical tight squeeze leads to a subsequent, more figurative one. With these 16 computers removed and this being a rather heavily trafficked area by students, where will the students go?

The reopening of Barstow and the opening of Swenson Hall next year will aid in the computer crunch; however, Joe Kmiech, Director of Technology Support Services, said 12 computers have been added to the library lab computers to help compensate for this loss. This would mean that students would only really be suffering from a net computer loss of 4 computers. This makes the closing a bit easier to handle.

“Although certain labs may be busier during certain times of the day, on average, most computer labs are not fully occupied; there is almost always a computer open somewhere on campus,” Kmiech said. “An additional means of being able to use the Internet or other sources on campus would be to bring your personal laptop to school.”

There are also several other computer labs located around campus such as in Old Main, Erlanson, the Markovitch Wellness Center, Holden Fine Arts, University Writing Center, the Yellowjacket Union and of Jim Dan Hill Library with the additional 12 computers.

As for the McCaskill lab computers, these will be circulated with older computers on campus. Mary Schoeler, Chief Information Officer, always tries to circulate out the older computers, meaning any computer that is four and a half years or older, with newer computers.

“I really like being able to give students the best computers that we have on campus and in some locations, student computers are really lacking,” she said. 

Schoeler is currently looking at switching the computers in the writing center, along with other student use computers around campus with the computers that are in the McCaskill lab.

The McCaskill computer lab is not the only lab closing at the end of this semester. Due to the renovations in Barstow, but this building will be off limits to the student body, meaning that the computer lab in this building will also be closing.

By next fall this closing may no longer be an issue with Swenson Hall opening; since the referendum did not pass for an increase in available funds to provide better technology to the students, funding may be short for the new building. However, if funding is provided, this building will offer two spacious computer labs and will be providing students with at least 100 more computers. So in the mean time, what will students do?

“It is a very convenient lab and if it was closed other students and I would have to go to an entirely different building. If and when I have to go somewhere else it would have to be the YU, since it is the next closest to here,” said Kayla Peltier, a frequent user of the McCaskill lab.

Student Mallory Johnson agreed with Peltier.  “No access for students would be a large inconvenience,” she stated.  “I would have to spend time in the library instead of here.”

The convenience of the location seems to be one of the main issues students have with this lab being permanently closed.

Shanna Radloff and Corie Davis have classes strictly in McCaskill and Barstow and would not enjoy having to travel elsewhere to find a lounge location, especially with winter just around the corner.

“This seems to be the only place with a reliable printer,” Radloff remarked. “If this place isn’t open next semester, I would rather spend time in my room than coming to campus.”