Ames High School students should not be allowed access to Iowa State University Computation Center facilities.

As it stands, a local high school student can use the computation center’s facilities virtually unnoticed. Logic would tell the average observer of this situation two things:

1) With unchecked access to Internet capabilities at the expense of Iowa State students, why would anyone in the Ames community even bother patronizing the Internet Provider Services (IPS) in the area? They wouldn’t! Thus, Iowa State is taken advantage of, and the local IPS businesses are hurt.

2) Access to computer facilities at Iowa State is a ‘common good.’ Everyone pays his designated computer fee and everyone has equal access to computer facilities.

What if someone claims that he uses the labs more or less often than the average student in his major?

He still pays his respective fee because it is both impossible and unfair to regulate the amount a person uses the facilities, and then charge a fee accordingly.

So as a student at Iowa State, I have equal and adequate access to the computation facilities — no matter how often I use them — because they were paid for, at least in part, by my fees.

A brilliant streak of logic tells me that an Ames High School student who uses the labs, but does not pay the computer fee, is abusing the privilege that all Iowa State students had to buy.

Whether the high school student uses the lab for homework or games, on the weekend or on a weekday, for Internet access or word processing, that student is not granted free access to our facilities under guidelines set forth by the Computation Center.

The associate principal at Ames High School suggests that his administration will “gladly make an announcement [to the students] about using university resources they aren’t supposed to use.” This will accomplish nothing, and is likely to be viewed as vague and non-threatening by high school students.

It should be the joint responsibility of the assistant director of the Computation Center, Mike Bowman, the University Computer Advisory Committee, and the Government of the Student Body to sit down together and draft a proposal to better monitor who uses the computer facilities.

I suggest that anyone wishing to enter a computer lab on campus be required to show the lab monitor evidence of matriculation at Iowa State University.

Many universities already require proof of enrollment; some even require the student to leave his I.D. at the lab monitor’s desk upon entering.

This would eliminate the need to concern ourselves with Ames High students’ misusage, and would be a small inconvenience for ensuring fair distribution of Iowa State’s computational resources.

Trent Preszler

Vice President

Liberal Arts and Sciences Council

Sophomore

Biology and Interdisciplinary Studies