Writing that four page paper for English will not be easy. What about that eight page paper that is coming up in Leadership? Let’s face it, writing a paper is hard enough; citations and all. What we shouldn’t have to deal with on top of writing the paper are the worries of not being able to print because of the recent printer malfunctions throughout campus. 

My personal horror story with one of the printers happened in the library at around 12am. I had just finished editing my essay to turn in for my English class. When trying to use the printer, my CNU ID declined, as it said that I did not have access to use the printer. I thought that this might’ve been just an error with the library printers, but the ones in McMurran and Luter were doing the exact same thing. My last attempt was to head to the DSU in the morning once it opened back up and then use the printer on the second floor. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Claire, why did you decide to print your essay at 12am?” Yes, I understand your concerns, but as someone who is practically on the run from dawn until dusk, being able to stop in the library to print things out is pretty much impossible depending on how booked my calendar is. The printers in general should be working around the clock without any issues and interruptions. A couple malfunctions here and there are alright. However, for people like me who are in a time crunch and therefore cannot improvise, need more reliance on the printer’s functionality to ensure that papers are able to be turned in in a timely manner. 

Not only have I been experiencing issues with the printer, but other CNU students have been sharing their growing concerns over printing malfunctions. “I have had many problems with the printers here at CNU. The first two times, there was a connection issue regarding the printer and at some point in the semester, my card had stopped working for the printer and I couldn’t print out any of my assignments” described freshman David Okonkwo. Another student, freshman Mason Lee, also addresses his concerns regarding failure of the printers, “There have been three times when I was unexplainably denied access to the printers. I would send my documents to the proper printer or website and when I scanned my card at the printer, it said there was an authentication error.” Not only is this stressful and time consuming for students who have already spent so long writing an essay, but can also create consequences such as a late grade from a professor when not turning the paper in on time. This can be costly to one’s grade. “The issue forced me to turn in a paper late. Fortunately I had an understanding professor.” said Lee. 

My hope is that we can look into printing issues as soon as possible in order to save others the stress of having to print. Once we are able to accomplish this, then students can use any printer they choose without feeling anxious that their stuff will not print on time to be turned in.