Daily Egyptian Politics Editor

The sun is barely setting on the student athletic fee issue, and some members of Undergraduate Student Government are suggesting a new fee may be necessary for technological improvements.

Jackie Smith, USG chief of staff, and Brian Kaminsky, both members of the Computing Advisory Committee, outlined an eight-point plan to better the quality of campus technology. They said a technology fee should be considered by students.

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Some of the improvements suggested are complete wiring of all campus buildings, Ethernet connections for residence halls and a long-term plan for upgrading all computing equipment.

Smith said to avoid student dissatisfaction concerning the implementation of a new fee, a referendum likely will be added to the USG ballot for the April 15 election.

If such a fee is instituted, she said, an all-student board would determine exactly how the money would be used by the University.

For instance, the students could ensure that no money from the technology fee could be used to supplement any other part of the budget, she said.

Smith also said CAC is investigating whether other types of funding could eliminate the need for a new fee.

We are looking into the possibility of getting corporate sponsorships of equipment and state and federal grants, she said.

Kaminsky walked the Student Senate through each segment of CAC’s rough draft of needed improvements and fielded occasional questions from senators. At the end of his presentation, he reiterated the current computer situation on campus.

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We have 400 public-use computers for 20,000 students, and that’s not nearly enough, he said.

In other business, the Senate allocated $400 to the student literary magazine Registered Student Organization Grassroots.