Miami has devoted a great deal of time, effort and resources toward making the university more technology-forward. This initiative is evident in King Library's educational game room and Thunder Room, yet the university needs to allocate resources toward the weak signal strength of wireless Internet in many residence halls. The technology fee used to build a game room for courses such as computer science and systems analysis, English and engineering should be used to better the wireless signal strength for all students.
With the continuous increase in the role of the Internet in classes of all disciplines, The Miami Student editorial board believes Miami needs to address the problem of a weak wireless signal before taking on other technology projects. The university recently spent $60,000 to improve the wireless network, but found certain buildings on-campus do not have a good wireless signal because of their construction and age. Miami needs to find a solution to this problem while addressing the need for students who must access Blackboard for class assignments and online quizzes. Podcasts and video clips are an increasingly important aspect of many classes and students should not have to go to the library when they need to download a video.
This board recognizes that some schools don't have wireless Internet access, but Miami has a technology fee, and this fee should be used to better a resource already in place. It is impressive that students can access Pandora while lying out in Miami's green spaces, but that doesn't reconcile the inability to stream a video from a residence hall's study room. Ethernet cables should be provided for study rooms where a strong signal is not possible.
The Thunder Room and electronic game room were built to keep Miami competitive with other schools, but the appearance of high-profile technology on campus does not substitute fixing an integral problem. While a strong wireless signal may not be as obvious as these impressive rooms during a campus tour, it is essential to undergraduate education and preparation for the real-world work environment.
The university needs to prioritize an upgrade to the wireless signal before other technology projects. The wireless system has been not upgraded since 2006, and in order to stay current with the increasing dependency on the Internet in many classes, the university must not accept building construction as an excuse for poor signal strength and find a way to fix the problem.
