The Student Life Office Free Print Program will give students the option to print up 20 black and white pages a day for free. A computer and printer will available inside of the Student Life Office for students to use as an alternative option to paying 12 cents per page at the Library and Learning Resource Center.

Student Services and Instructional Support Coordinator Joel Nickelson-Shanks said they are at a standstill with Contra Costa College’s information technology (IT) department at the moment.

“We have everything that’s needed but we are waiting on IT to come in here finish setting it up.”

Students can use the old printer currently set up at the Student Life Office to print while they wait to set up the new printer.

Students will have access to a computer specifically set up for the Free Print Program to print their papers.

Nickelson-Shanks said, “We are putting restrictions on the computer so students can’t just hop on and surf the Web. You will be able to get on your email and other certain websites to print stuff.”

Students will not have to sign in with their ID numbers like they do in the LLRC.

Nickelson-Shanks said “We are using an honesty policy, so if you print more than 20 there’s not a red flag that is going to pop up and I’m going to run outside yelling at people.”

He also said, “There will be a timer on the computer so that a single person isn’t taking too much time with a  huge line forming behind them. We want this program to make things as convenient as possible for students.”

“I know the difficulty of when you either print your paper or pay for the bus ride home,” health and human services major Vernon Harvey said. He said, “This is a great program.”

According to the district’s Acceptable Technology Use policy (Board’s Policy 4007) computer use is a privilege. Those using them should act responsibly and the computers should only be used for school work.

Pediatric nursing major Denise Brown said, “I don’t mind going over there to print. I want to keep my change. I always have to go to my uncle’s house to print if I am low on cash, but now I have an alternative.”

Students who wish to print at the LLRC can get a free printing card. The card can only be loaded with cash by the machines inside the LLRC. Prints cost 12 cents for a black and white page and 35 cents for a color page.

By adding the HP Laser-Jet Pro M402dw printer in the Student Life Offices as an option for students, LLRC printing queue times are expected to go down as students will now have another option to print their work.

Nursing major Heather Arrogante said, “I might be too lazy to go all the way over there. If I have time I will make the effort, but the reason I always print here (in the LLRC) is because it’s usually last minute.