The printing subsidy, which allocates $7 to students every semester, should not be taken away after the next academic year.

Students will be allocated the printing subsidy for one more academic year, said Chief Information Officer Brett Coryell. Students are allocated $7 per semester in printing for the current academic year, which dropped from last year’s $14, and 2012-13’s $21. Students had unlimited free printing before fall 2012.

The $150,000 to $250,000 that will be used to fund the printing subsidy was intended to pay for maintaining the computer labs next year since some computers are about 7 to 8 years old, Coryell said. While maintenance for the on-campus computers would be nice, it’s not what the students really need or want.

The Student Association Senate created a survey in February in which senators gathered students’ opinions on what they feel money in the IT division should be used for. The results showed students rely on the printing subsidy for their printed assignments.

Junior finance major Latrice Tillis said she uses the printing subsidy every two weeks. She said she usually prints about 40 pages when she uses the on-campus printers.

The university “can’t just take away something that is pretty much needed by everyone,” Tillis said. “You can’t just take away a huge necessity from students.”

If students are in need of and want the printing subsidy, it should be kept and kept for more than one year.

The printing subsidy gives students an advantage when it comes to their school work. Students can access anywhere printing from many places on campus and it helps when students have to print out lengthy papers.

Junior sociology major Margarita Palomares said some of her classes require her to print her notes before class.

“It will be more expensive to buy ink and everything,” Palomares said. “Right now for my biology class I use [on-campus printing] two times per week for more than 11 pages.”

Students are clearly in need of the printing subsidy so the money shouldn’t be used for anything else. Computer maintenance can wait.