SOU upgrades computers and Wi-Fi

100 new workstations, wireless grid improvements are what students expect, SOU technology chief says

Southern Oregon University recently installed 100 new computers in its computer lab and added wireless coverage for dorms. Mail Tribune / Julia MooreJulia Moore

February 13, 2012

ASHLAND — Southern Oregon University was in the midst of a technological makeover last week.

The school's main computer lab was outfitted with 100 new computers, and a revamped Internet configuration campus-wide means students' dorm rooms now are on the wireless grid.

"This is my first day on the new ones, they're real nice," said Alberto Figueroa, a 28-year-old student at SOU.

"They're much faster, and I like all the space."

The new desktop towers in the main lab are about half the size of the bulky units they replaced, and the new makeover included 20 new monitors, as well, said Brad Christ, chief information officer for the Information Technology Department at SOU.

Figueroa, who is completing his Master of Arts in teaching at SOU, doesn't have a personal computer or an Internet connection at home, so he's in the main lab or the Hannon Library computer lab daily, he said.

The new computers, which cost the university's IT department about $80,000, replace computers that are about three- to four years old, but some were pushing six years old, Christ said.

About 70 of the youngest machines that were replaced in the main lab will be moved to the other side of the campus, where they will replace the oldest computers in the library's lab, he said.

The other 30 will be recycled so they don't end up in landfills, Christ said.

"There are quite a few dinosaurs floating around that need to be replaced," said Bob Sexton, student computing coordinator for SOU. "We're working through them and trying to get back on schedule."

Christ said the plan is to get all of SOU's computers on a three- to four-year lifecycle, because that's about how long manufacturers' warranties last.

In addition to the new computers, the university invested about $100,000 to expand its campus-wide wireless Internet service, which was being finalized on Friday, Christ said.

That project doubled the amount of wireless access points on campus from 69 to about 140, he said. Access points are the devices that transmit a wireless Internet signal to a computer.

The new access points are bringing wireless Internet access to all of the residence halls on campus for the first time, said Christ, something he hopes will make students' lives a little easier.

"It was very important to me to make that investment," said Christ, who started at SOU in April 2011. "Wireless Internet is something students expect to have when they come to college."

Because about 95 percent of SOU students own their own computer, making certain their computers are running smoothly on campus is in the best interest of university, said Christ.

"The whole idea of running a computer lab at the university level is not what it used to be," said Sexton. "Other than during midterms or finals, we're rarely at capacity."

Sexton said 95 percent of the time there are fewer than 40 people in the main lab, meaning it's hardly ever at capacity. It would require about 60 users to fill it.

With today's technology-savvy students, he said, the space is most frequently used for a quick printout before class, or a quiet place to work outside of a student's dorm room or home.

That's why SOU student Jarrad Childs uses the main lab, he said.

"I have a computer and Internet at home," said Childs, a junior business and economics major. "It's just a nice place to come and work. I'm more focused here because there are less distractions."

Christ said he is looking forward to this year's campus-wide IT satisfaction survey. "I think we'll show some improvements from the one I had in front of me when I showed up," he said.