Any student who attends Fairfield University has had some interaction with the Wepa printers on campus. As cited on Wepa’s website, the printers are a “cloud print solution that eliminates the need for servers on your campus and fits easily into a student’s daily life and technology habits.” However, how true does this statement really hold up? Is it really the “solution” that Wepa claims it to be?
I regretfully have to say no, it is not. Wepa is a great concept, but it has not fully lived up to the title of “solution” in my opinion. I argue that it deserves an even greater investment of time and money in order to benefit all members of the Fairfield community.
Fairfield University has 25 total Wepa printing stations on the main campus, which at first glance would seem like more than enough. Yet even if a student travels to one of these printers, there is a high chance they will be met with an error message preventing them from printing. When a printer is broken, the message reads, “I need help! If I had thumbs I would fix the problem myself, but I don’t…”. This error message is supposed to be comedic, but there is nothing funny about not being able to print out materials before your next class. This unfortunate situation is not a rare occasion either.
The printers are highly prone to breaking down, which leaves students without access to printed materials. The sheer number of times I have heard a sigh of frustration from students as they sadly walk away from a Wepa printer is too numerous to count.
Not only do printer malfunctions cause inconvenience, but they also cause academic setbacks. Some professors require printed assignments in class rather than electronic copies. Depending on the professor, failure to bring in a paper copy of an assignment could result in a grade reduction. Students at Fairfield should not have to gamble with their grades by hoping they will find the right printer that is working at the right spot on campus at the right time.
When the printers do work, they are very convenient and helpful. However, these malfunctions shine a light on their faults. I wish that every printer would run well every day. But there is logistically no way to ensure that every printer will be in working condition at every waking moment. There are many people working hard behind the scenes to ensure the printers are working,and it is important to acknowledge and appreciate their dedication. It is no easy task to constantly keep printers all around campus stocked with paper and ink and keep them glitch-free. Thus, I think the University should invest more resources into printer maintenance to better support students who need printers and support the staff working diligently to keep them running. Until that type of support is provided to enhance the Wepa printers, how can Fairfield’s students ensure that they can print their materials? We must plan ahead.
All in all, I believe that the idea of Wepa printers is wonderful, but the execution is what shows some of its shortcomings. If the University could give further resources and funding to enhance the printing experience, I believe it would be beneficial for the entire community.
