Boston College purports itself to be at the forefront of technology by implementing today's advances on campus. However, there are certain aspects of the technology at BC that are outdated compared to those of similar universities, and there are also some advances that could make BC one of the most technologically advanced campuses around.
The on-campus post office is a source of headaches for a number of BC students. In addition to its inconvenient location for most campus residents, the system by which students are notified that they have received a package is ineffective. While BC places a handwritten slip in students' mailboxes when they receive packages, many other universities send students e-mails.
If BC were to implement this system, it would not only be more convenient for students, who now have to check their mailboxes in order to find out if their packages have arrived, but it would also be easier for post office employees. Through this system, they could simply enter names into a computer program that would e-mail an automated message to everyone who has received a package. This way, students living on Lower Campus would not have to travel to McElroy several days in a row just to see if their packages have arrived.
This minor change would barely cost the school anything and could even help it save money.
A more costly but equally important way to enhance student life at BC would be to make the entire campus wireless. Currently, wireless Internet is only available in academic buildings, common areas, and a few select residences. In order to access the Internet in a residence hall, students have to be close to the Ethernet jack in their bedrooms or go to common areas within their buildings, which usually have mediocre wireless signals. Many students on campus live in suites where the only Internet jacks are located in bedrooms. Without Ethernet jacks in common areas or wireless within residence hall rooms, students using the Internet are either confined to their desks or forced to buy a long Ethernet wire and run it throughout their rooms. With the current setup, students are unable to use the Internet in the common area if their roommates are sleeping and blocking the outlet, or if they simply do not want to sit at their desks.
2008 Woodie Awards
