Office of Information Technology

Technology Appropriations Board
Minutes of Meeting of April 15, 1998

Location: AHT 4th Floor Conference Room
Time: 2:00 - 3:00PM

In attendance:

Power, who has given dedicated service as chair of the SGA Technical Services Committee and Co-Chair of the Technology Appropriations Board, will step down from this position. As a result of the Spring 1998 SGA elections, the new chair of the Technical Services Committee is Matthew Disney, and thus he will become the co-chair of the Technology Appropriations Board for the next year.

A proposal was made to formalize the procedures and mission of the Technology Appropriations Board. Bill Drumright will chair a subcommittee to prepare a draft document of bylaws for the Board. Subcommittee members are Dewitt Latimer, Ken Walker, and Hai Li.

There was a broad discussion of policy issues regarding Technology Fee funding requests:

1. Linking resource requests to student funding share. The Board opposed linking project funding to student share for several reasons:
   • this is is not feasible on a practical level as students may be registered in courses offered by multiple colleges or departments.
   • Direct apportionment would be contrary to the current mode of dispersing tuition or state monies, in which funding is not tied to enrollment for a particular department or college.
   • Pre-allocation of monies would limit the possibility of funding and completing large projects in a given year, and thus would dilute the effect of the technology fee.
2. Recurring costs - supplies, staffing, hardware maintenance, software leasing. It was agreed that recurring costs should be considered on an individual basis, but only for a limited period of time, generally not to exceed one year. The Board questioned the validity of giving priority to projects for which departments have no continuing support, and suggested that proposals for funding should include a commitment from the department for on-going operating costs. It was also noted that when staffing is provided for labs, the labs should be open to the general student population.
3. Renovations for labs and classrooms. The Board recommended that, under normal circumstances, Technology Fee funds would not be used for renovation of labs or classrooms. Cases will be considered on an individual basis. Responsibility for the upgrade and renovation of space lies with Academic Affairs, Space and Facilities Management, or the individual college or department. The purpose of the Technology Fee is to provide equipment and software for the computing and networking infrastructure.
4. Classroom multi-media equipment. Limited funding is available for classroom multimedia equipment through the Innovative Technology Center grant program. The classroom assignment, maintenance, and installed instructional equipment are coordinated through Academic Affairs. The Innovative Technology Center provides consultation on appropriate multimedia equipment for classrooms, in collaboration with Academic Affairs and Space and Facilities Management. In addition, ITC supports the upgrade of multimedia equipment in one or more classrooms per year, selected in coordination with renovations planned by Space and Facilities Management.
5. Network port installation and monthly charges. The Technology Fee will not typically be used to fund port installation or continuing network charges. Preferably network expense is part of the cost sharing provided by the individual department, however, special cases will be considered on an individual basis. It was noted that totally free services often are not efficiently used, and thus network usage, which is already significantly subsidized by DII, is appropriately provided on a fee basis.
6. Special equipment - cameras, VCRs, 35mm slide makers, GPS units, etc. The Technology Fee is primarily directed toward computing and networking equipment and software, and thus special equipment is not a priority. Often the special equipment has a dedicated academic function, and thus is supported by the Academic Affairs equipment budget. It was recommended, that if such equipment is funded, it be placed in the Innovative Technology Center, or other location easily available to all students.

A prioritized listing was distributed of the individual requests received for FY 98-99 technology fee funding, along with a summary of all requests. The total amount of requests is $2,849,762.

As a result of the discussion of individual policy issues, it was suggested that a memo be sent to each of the sponsors of requests clarifying funding policies. The memo will indicate that requests for network and operating support will be considered on an individual basis, although the basic policy is to limit such funding. It is preferred that these expenses be included in the cost sharing supported by the individual unit making the proposal. Indeed, a credible cost share plan will increase the chance of being funded.

The next meeting of the Technology Appropriations Board is scheduled for May 20, 1998, in the AHT Fourth Floor Conference Room.