Campus rents laptops via student ID
05 April, 2016
category: Privilege Control
Chapman University students can rent laptops for free in the Orange, Calif. campus’ student union as part of a project spearheaded by the university’s student government.
According to the Chapman’s student publication, The Panther, the kiosk plays home to 12 laptops in total – six Dell PCs and six MacBook Pros – that are available for students to use freely, provided there are no holds on their university account. To check out a laptop, students simply swipe a valid Chapman ID card.
Students signing out a laptop will be required to sign an agreement holding them accountable for any loss or damage to the laptop, as well as a $25 per hour late fee. The laptops also charge while in the kiosk so as to provide renters with a full battery for the four-hour rental period.
The implementation of the laptop kiosk was pushed back slightly to this month after a longer than expected decision process regarding which kiosk hardware would be installed. The rental program was initially projected to cost between $30,000 and $40,000, but after selecting a $30,000 kiosk and factoring in the purchase of each of the 12 laptops, the cost of the initiative totaled roughly $50,000.
The Chapman University student government funded $29,700 of the project, with the university’s Information Systems and Technology department funding the remaining $20,000. The funds raised will cover the annual service fee and fix any issues that may arise with the laptops and kiosk.
Students can also check out computer chargers from the union also using their Chapman IDs. The laptops, meanwhile, can be used anywhere on campus including dorms and classrooms provided they are returned on time.
