6The Daily Tar HeelWednesday, April 3, 1991
Most college students canno
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By Sarah Barrett
Staff Writer
Computer.
The word alone is taboo for some
college students. For others it calls to
mind a tool they can't live without. No
matter how college students view
computers, they will, in most cases,
have to use them at least once before
graduating.
"I don't think you can get through
here without using a computer," said
Linwood Futrelle, manager of the
University's microcomputing labs.
A lot of professors don't require
students to use computers as much as
they encourage it, he said. In many
classes, working on a computer is not
required, but students can't do work
without it.
Since the Microcomputing Support
Center started in 1985, the number of
students using computers has grown
dramatically. In 1985, students signed
to use computers 7,400 times in the two
MSC computer labs then in existence,
Futrelle said.
This past fiscal year, students signed
in 183,000 times at the lOMSC-staffed
labs, he said. So far, students have signed
in 140,000 times in the nine months of
this fiscal year, he said.
The MSC and the Academic Com
puting Service were recently reorga
nized into the single department of the
Office of Information Technology. The
MSC-handled microcomputers and the
Academic Computing Service handled
the mainframes.
The 10 staffed OIT labs and the 14
unstaf fed residence hall labs house about
400 computers and are available for any
student to use, Futrelle said. About 45
percent of the computers are IBM PCs,
and 55 percent are Macintosh, he said.
If not at the University, students will
definitely need computer experience in
the job world, said Danny Martschenko,
training manager of OIT User Services.
Despite the increasing role of com
puters in society, some students have
never used a computer before.
"The initial fear of using a computer
is what shys most people from using it,"
Martschenko said. A lot of people think
it's too late to learn, but it isn't, he said.
OIT User Services, located on the
fourth floor of Hanes Hall, offers year
round training for a lot of major software
packages for IBM and Macintosh
computers, he said. There are classes
geared toward writing papers and re
ports, and everybody writes papers,
Martschenko said. One of his students
called the classes the best fringe benefit
on this campus, he said.
Each course is two hours long, and
OIT puts out a monthly schedule of the
courses. Students can go to OIT User
Services andgettheirnames on amailing
list to receive the monthly information.
They must register for the courses and
can do this by calling 962-1171. There
are a lot of people on the mailing list,
Martschenko said, but most of them are
University staff and faculty, not students.
He said not as many students par
ticipate in the classes as he would like,
because many students are not aware
that these classes are available to them.
Most people probably are not shocked
by the idea of using computers to do
homework, to find a job or even as a
career, but using computers to improve
one's social life is pretty unbelievable.
One aspect of computers that can
serve a social purpose is electronic mail.
Electronic mail, commonly called E
mail, is a system by which people
communicate electronically instead of
using voice or paper, Futrelle said.
To use the University's E-mail sys
tem, students need to get a free mail ID
and information from OIT data entry
supervisor, Louise Clayton, in 35
Phillips Hall, he said. Then they can go
to a computer lab with E-mail or hook
their computer into the networking
system that can connect computers from
all over the world.
To communicate with E-mail, people
type messages on the computer and
transfer them to a person's account
where that person can read them. The
messages are stored in the account, and
no one can read them except the receiver.
E-mail is easierthan chasing a person
on the phone every day, Futrelle said.
Martschenko said it was possible to
talk to anyone in the world with E-mail,
and it's free.
E-mail also serves a practical purpose.
Students who have it can subscribe to
different services, many of which are
free. For example, they can electroni
cally get information about courses and
seminars, and they can receive the OIT
class schedule.
Ruth Anderson, a senior computer
science major from Winston-Salem, said
she found out that she was admitted to
the graduate schools through E-mail,
and she used it to find out about the
departments at the schools.
Most professors, graduate students
and upper-level computer science stu
dents have E-mail, she said. "It's a great
way for professors to tell you about
homework."
Students who do have computer
knowledge can use it to make money
while they're still in school.
OIT employs about 100 students,
Futrelle said. The salary for jobs at OIT
ranges from $4.50 per hour to $8 per
hour, depending on the student's com
puter knowledge, he said.
Students may also look for computer
related jobs in other departments on
campus, he said.
Leslie Malone, a senior from Durham,
works for OIT in Wilson Library. Her
job consists of entering data and docu
menting for computer programs, and
she updates and maintains the campus
information center called INFO, she
said.
Students may get information about
the campus from INFO at Davis Li
brary, Undergraduate Library and South
Building, she said.
Seniors or graduate students tired of
looking for a job for after graduation or
baffled about where to look can use a
computer to help them in their search.
Any senior or graduate student regis
tered with the University Career Plan
ning and Placement Service can access
the Automated Job Hot Line for free,
UCPPS director Marcia Harris said.
This hot line was developed four
years ago with a grant from the Parents'
Association, she said.
UCPPS was the first placement center
in the country to establish a program
like this and won an award for it, she
said.
Students may access the hot line on
any touch-tone telephone by calling 962
CTPS, Harris said.
When the job seeker calls the hot
line, a computer matches his skills and
interests with the requirements and
openings of jobs stored in the computer,
she said.
Despite the benefits of E-mail, a lot
of people don't use it.
Futrelle said this happened because
people don't know it's available, and
they don't know what they have to do to
get it.
Perhaps the most obvious way stu
dents use computers socially is with
video games.
Zach Nelson, a sophomore music
and history major from Wyckoff, N.J.,
had competitions with all of his
suitemates in Teague Residence Hall
during his freshman year. They played
the game Risk, and the competitions got
to be very big, lasting hours at a time,
Nelson said.
"We'd have a party, turn the com
puter on, and things would go from
there," he said.
Nelson, an avid computer user, said
he doesn't write anything anymore.
"It's faster for me to type than write,
and I use the computer for everything I
would use a pencil for."
An unusual way Nelson uses his
computer is to write music. As a member
of the Clef Hangers, UNC's all-male a
cappella group, Nelson has begun to
arrange music on his computer.
He said he programs notes on the
computer. The computer then sends
these programmed notes to a processor
that he hooks up to it. The processor
accepts the computer program and
transforms the programmed notes into
music played by almost any musical
instrument.
Nelson said writing music on the
computer saved him a lot of time because
it allowed him to find mistakes in the
music before playing it for the Clef
Hangers.
After being introduced to the won
derful world of computers, students may
wonder when they should buy one.
"If you're going to buy a computer,
you should buy it here because you
can't get it cheaper," Martschenkq said.
He said he worked in the computer
industry before working at OIT, and the
industry had the hardest time compet
ing with school discount prices.
The University's Ram Shop computer
store sells Macintosh, IBM and Zenith
computers and sells about 1,500 com
puters a year, said employee Robert
Ward.
The manufacturers of the computers
offer students a discount of about 25
percent off the retail price, he said.
GRADUATION 1991
will begin taking reservations by telephone for UNC and Duke graduation
weekend on April 15, 1991. This year we are offering a four-course meal which
includes antipasto, pasta, entree and dessert for $29.00 per person. Because we
receive many more requests for reservations than we can fairly accommodate,
we urge those wishing to celebrate graduation at Aurora to complete the form
below to make arrangements before April 15, 1991.
Name
Address
Phone: Day.
Night.
Please circle the date desired:
Dinner: Friday, May 10 Saturday, May 11 Sunday, May 12
Lunch: Sunday, May 12
Please indicate preferred time:
Please indicate the earliest and latest acceptable times:
Between and
(Dinner hours 5:00 to 10:30 pm Lunch 12:00 to 3:00 pm)
A deposit of $8.00 times the number reserved is requested as a guarantee.
Number in party x $8.00 Amount of deposit $
Payment method (circle): MC VISA Check
Credit Card Number
Cardholder's Name (if different from above)
Exp. date
Confirmation of your reservation and receipt of your deposit will be returned by mail.
Please make sure that the information that you provide is complete and correct.
Return this ad and a self-addressed, stamped envelope by April 15, 1991 to:
Aurora, Carr Mill, 200 M Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510