Let’s get two things straight: I love Seton Hill University (SHU) and I love the new Technology Advantage Program. When I give tours to perspective students, I love seeing both their and their parent’s faces light up as I let them know all the ins and outs of yet another wonderful part of SHU; a part that, quite frankly, I’m jealous of.
By: Chelsea Oliver
Senior Staff Writer
Let’s get two things straight: I love Seton Hill University (SHU) and I love the new Technology Advantage Program. When I give tours to perspective students, I love seeing both their and their parent’s faces light up as I let them know all the ins and outs of yet another wonderful part of SHU; a part that, quite frankly, I’m jealous of.
Because I’m a senior, I did not qualify for the program. I only have two semesters to go, and the student needs at least four to cover the cost of the technology. However,in the spring semester SHU announced that all full- time students would receive an iPad. (There was much rejoicing!) And although I love my iPad (I named it Isaac and bought a couple covers for it on Amazon.com as soon as I could) I hate doing my homework on it.
Since my laptop would not connect to the SHU network or even the SHU-Guest network, I started off the semester doing all of my homework in my room on Isaac’s notepad application and then emailing my assignments to myself and finishing everything in a computer lab. While that method was not too difficult or inconvenient for short assignments, writing research papers on an iPad is not ideal. As a result, I made three trips to the IT Department to see if they could get the problem fixed.
I thought the first trip would be successful and quick like most of my past trips. However, my first trip resulted in my computer being left over the weekend in the IT department. When I got it back on Monday, there was updated internet security, but still no working Internet. I kept getting messages saying VIPRE found another threat and deleted it. Well, good job, VIPRE, I don’t know how you’re doing that without even being on the Internet.
The second and third trips were made on the same day. Everything was fine when I left the IT Department, but when I got back to my room in Canevin, I had no internet. I walked back over and came back again with no internet. However, later that day, my new savior, Chris Sherman, came to my room to fix the problem at the source. Alas, I have Internet now. Which right after Sherman left I decided it was absolutely necessary to update my status on Facebook status, proclaiming the good news.
So what was the issue? My laptop is a PC, not a Mac. Every time another tech staff looked at my computer, they all said the same thing: “I don’t know what’s wrong with it.” Until one of them stopped blaming the problem on my computer and finally gave me an honest response: the SHU network was really just for the Macs. SHU-Guest picks up the PCs.
Now, please, bear in mind my first sentence as you read my next. I’m not a guest of Seton Hill. During the past four years, when my laptop easily connected to the SHU network, I was very involved on campus through various clubs and organizations. I’m happy to finally be connected, but really a guest just because I’m a PC? If we’re not able to get on the SHU network, is it possible to at least get a name change for the guest network, please? It’s a little offensive to those of us, who are still here and not carrying around a sleek, little piece of shinny metal.