Last Thursday at 9 a.m., undergraduate registration officially began. Coincidentally, BU Brain crashed. Students that were awarded the first registration time slot woke up to the panic of realizing they couldn’t claim the classes they wanted.
Unfortunately, this was not Binghamton’s first massive IT failure. Along with besecure and Blackboard, BU Brain is one of a growing list of resources unable to serve the rising student population and the increased usage that comes with it.
One specific service that must be addressed is Wi-Fi. It’s no secret that the Internet is a huge part of our lives and we can’t live without it. The fact is, the Wi-Fi on campus this semester is an absolute joke. Busecure crashes frequently and even when it’s functioning, it runs slowly. We cannot call ourselves a “public ivy” if students cannot use one of the most important resources in their aresenals.
I have no idea why these systems crash, or whether or not it’s due to overloaded servers. But what I do know is that the student population is increasing every year and if this University does not start investing in its IT backbone, these problems will only get worse.
Binghamton needs to start investing in the services people don’t see walking through campus. The administration needs to stop worrying about what prospective freshmen see when they visit. What they need to do is make sure that all currently enrolled students have access to the resources necessary to succeed. How can I submit my homework if Blackboard doesn’t work? How can I figure out what classes I’m going to take next semester if I can’t look them up on BU Brain? How am I supposed to write my paper if the Internet is down and I can’t access Google Scholar or even Wikipedia?!
The bottom line is that Binghamton students, professors, staff and employees rely heavily on these systems. It makes no difference if Blackboard crashes while I’m taking a test or if the Wi-Fi is down when I’m trying to look up Halloween costume ideas. These systems are important to everyone, on- and off-campus students, and they need to work all day, every day.
When and if the servers are replaced and updated, there won’t be any ribbon-cutting ceremonies or front page articles in Pipe Dream. But reliable online student resources and a consistent Internet connection would be the greatest gifts this University has ever given its students.
-Isaac Anteby is a senior majoring in accounting