During the first week of classes, many students were unable to log onto the Main Library SINC site. The area was packed with a long line of students going out through the doors, all of whom needed to use a computer or a printer. The Union SINC site was also crowded during the first week, but unlike the Library site, the traffic has died down a bit.
‘ As students settle back into the campus ‘swing of things,’ the SINC sites are no longer’ as busy and’ the wait has been reduced to’ 5-10 minutes for computers. The waiting time also fluctuates depending on the ‘peak hours’ of the SINC sites. These peak hours range from early afternoon into the evening, the staff of the Library SINC site said. During the beginning of the semester and around finals times, the sites are usually overcrowded and have even longer waits.
While the Library and Union sites are the most popular, there are thirteen other smaller SINC sites around campus. Although many of these sites are currently closed for the first few weeks of the semester, they will be opening up to students soon. Students who had complaints about the larger sites also said that they ‘never used the other SINC sites because they did not know where they were.’ Graham Greene, the director of the new Teaching, Learning and Technology department hopes to change this situation. Throughout this semester, his plan is to increase the availability of the other sites along with advertising them a bit more. ‘We will be putting up screens in the popular SINC sites that will tell students how many computers are currently free in the other sites,’ Greene said, as well as creating a website that students can visit to check the availability.
Those without access to internet will be able to text message different SINC sites and receive a report with the number of computers and printers available. While promoting the use of other sites, the department also plans to extend the hours to match those of the Library site. New SINC site in the Central and North reading rooms in the Melville Library will also be open this semester. While students are encouraged to use the smaller sites, many of them will not be open for another 1-2 weeks. While some are being used for classes, others just do not have the sufficient staff needed. Sites are mainly staffed with students.
In the mean time, students can use the larger sites and look forward to completing a survey produced by the Teaching, Learning and Technology department later this Fall.
In the mean time, students can use the larger sites and look forward to completing a survey produced by the Teaching, Learning and Technology department later this Fall.
