LITC changes late fees

The Library Instructional Technology Center will soon have new a protocol for checked-out equipment that is overdue.

Traditionally, when students are late turning in rented equipment, they receive three email reminders letting them know their equipment is late. For each day a $5 charge is put on their account, and once the equipment is 10 days late, the student will accrue a lost fee that consists of the value of the equipment, plus a $50 processing fee.

Joe Windish, lead technical specialist for Instructional Support, said that in efforts to receive the equipment back from students who have checked it out, if students do not respond to the three reminder emails that are sent out, they will receive an email referring them to the Student Judicial Board for a hearing.

“I (will) send an email notifying the judicial board and copying the dean of students and again saying if you don’t come in we will take this action,” Windish said. “The point is to escalate it up to get their attention and the assumption is that that will get their attention.”

SGA President Evan Karanovich said that while checking out equipment at the LITC, he noticed there were several flaws in the checkout procedures. Earlier this month he said Windish contacted him with a possible solution to those problems.

“I am currently working with the attorney general and Student Affairs to determine what this means to students and what the procedure will entail for students,” Karanovich said. “Also, SGA will be working now and in the future with the LITC to ensure that they communicate the changes that are currently taking place to students.”

Karanovich said he believes there is nothing unreasonable about the current proposed changes to the LITC equipment checkout procedures.

“They are simply to ensure that the equipment (that is paid for through the Student Tech Fee) is used properly and equally by all students,” Karanovich said. “Students should have equal opportunity to check out this great technology, but if we have students that do not follow the guidelines, it is reasonable to seek restitution for ‘student’ property.’”

Windish proceeded with his new plan and spoke with SGA Attorney General Andrew Whittaker about what the Student Judicial Board could do.

“I’ve explained to Joe what it means to include the judicial board and what it would have to look like administratively,” Whittaker said. “Students would only be sent to the judicial board under extreme circumstances. Specifically only after the equipment is 25 days overdue and the student has ignored three email reminders.”

Currently, the LITC has an inventory of 400 iPods, 80 iPads, 111 flip cameras, 38 laptops and various pieces of electronic equipment for students to check out. During their busiest month of October, they had a total of 780 checkouts booked, which could include several pieces of material for each checkout.

Having such a large volume of equipment for students to checkout, Windish said, it is vital that students return the equipment after the seven-day rental period.

“The important thing about that is this equipment is in demand, so we need to get it back,” Windish said. “Every day it’s late there is somebody else, another student, that doesn’t get it. Much of our equipment is 100 percent checked out, and so we need to get it back.”

Students who use the LITC equipment check out services should expect for the new procedures to go into effect this coming summer semester. To find information on the current procedures please visit, http://www.gcsu.edu/library/guidelines.htm.

Posted by Lauren Davidson on Apr 26 2012. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.