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From: dan@brunix.UUCP (David Niguidula)
Newsgroups: net.college,net.cse,net.micro,net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: Univ. of VT chooses AT&T pc's
Message-ID: <10432@brunix.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 28-Apr-85 22:04:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: brunix.10432
Posted: Sun Apr 28 22:04:27 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Apr-85 03:08:44 EDT
References: <376@uvm-cs.UUCP> <285@h-sc1.UUCP> <164@mcc-db.UUCP> <4171@hlexa.UUCP>
Reply-To: dan@nancy.UUCP (David Niguidula)
Organization: Brown University Computer Science
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Xref: linus net.college:644 net.cse:309 net.micro:8856 net.micro.pc:3462

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We've been arguing for a while here at Brown about having students buy
any type of machine.  It's upsetting that many people think "Oh, if
they can afford a school with a five-figure tuition, they can afford
to buy a computer."  THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE.  While it is true
that there are a number of rich folks wandering around the Ivies and
similarly priced schools, they constitute a minority of the student
bodies. 

Many students rely on large loans (not necessarily from the
GSL program), grants, and their own earnings (summer and school year)
to help pay for a school that they and their parents CANNOT really
afford.  Every $100 added to the bill usually means another 20-25
hours of work, or an increase in the debt incurred at graduation.
The price of a personal computer -- even if it is spread over
four years -- may push the total college bill over the edge.

Most people find college expensive, no matter where they attend. Just
because the state schools are, by and large, less expensive that private
institutions, does not mean that many students have difficulty financing
their education.

A personal computer is not a bad investment, and organizations such as
the Apple Consortium (where member schools get a large discount on
Macintoshes and other Apple products) should encourage students to buy
machines.  However, schools can set up public terminal/pc centers that
would cost a lot less per student -- students can still use the machines,
and can afford to attend the school that has them.