Douglas Students’ Union fulfills two major campaign promises
By Keating Smith, Staff Writer
The Douglas Students’ Union (DSU) has fulfilled two if its campaign promises with the grand opening of their newly installed computer lab, which brings 20 ‘all-in-one’ computers to students in the DSU building at the New Westminster campus, and a Pita Pit to be up and running by next summer.
“The reason for the additional computer lab had to do with many students not being able to find available computers within Douglas College,” says Jesse Stamberg, DSU internal relations coordinator. “Therefore we made it our campaign promise to help these students who were struggling to find computers on campus.”
Finding a computer readily available at either campus can be a challenge, especially with the high enrollment levels the school has been faced with. During midterm and final exams periods, this can be even more difficult and students can be seen regularly using the ‘quick printing’ stations to edit and research papers in a last-ditch-effort when all computers are in use or when the labs are full or occupied with a class. Using the quick print stations for any purpose other than printing from flash drives or email goes against the rules of using the stations. The DSU hopes to alleviate some of these problems, along with many other computer occupancy issues with the new lab.
“Not only did we work to get an additional computer lab but we also made it our promise to bring 100 additional sheets of free printing per year for students to use,” says Stamberg. “This will be done separately from Douglas College, and all you will need to do is come into our office with your student ID to be able to access this free printing.”
In addition to this new service, both photocopying and faxing services are also available in the DSU office and information on prices for both services can be found on their website.
The DSU also commented on the opening of a new food vendor at the New Westminster campus, saying “Pita Pit will help bring additional student jobs onto our campus, which is very important for both us and our members,” according to Stamberg. “We have worked with Pita Pit to bring in an affordable $5 daily special with both vegetarian and meat options [and] these specials will include a wrap, beverage, and side construction that will start in February and everything should be fully functioning by the summer semester.”
The new computer lab is available for use during the DSU office hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
