 Printing in O'Neill Library will cost 3 cents a page if students exceed the limit.
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Environmental issues have been a concern of college students both at Boston College and across the country. With the fall launch of a printing allotment program imminent, however, students will feel a little more pressure to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
In an effort to eliminate the waste of paper and the rising environmental and financial pressures that come with it, BC will adopt a printing allotment policy for all public printing as of September this year.
Each student will be awarded 500 free pages of printing on public printers per semester. with the allotment resetting every semester. Should students use all 500 sheets, which amount to a 20-pound ream of paper, they will be charged three cents per additional page used.
These additional expenses will be charged to student Eagle One cards or a "print card" that can be purchased at the BC Bookstore.
The hope is that with the new program, students will think twice before printing something that in the long run will waste unnecessary amounts of paper as well as toner and electricity.
Speaking on whether the typical student prints more than 500 pages in a semester, University Spokesperson Jack Dunn said: "Our sense is very few. But the policy as a whole helps to codify our commitment to eliminating waste and making the campus more environmentally friendly."
Over the past decade, paper waste has increased drastically. "The amount of printing has grown tremendously in the last few years. The main reason has been the dependence on Web-based material for courses, sort of a shift in the way classroom materials are distributed," said Mary Corcoran, executive director of support services in BC's Information Technology department.
With broader enviromental issues in mind, the concern for paper waste on the BC campus is a legitimate one.
"At a time when the University is planning for its future through its campus master plan, we are being required by local state and federal governments to find ways of achieving sustainability.
At the same time, we're looking at any way to cut wasteful spending. And so, with these environmental and financial concerns guiding us, we decided that we would implement this program beginning in September," said Dunn.
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