Sorry, this computer is broken :(

Here is the scenario: You just stayed up until 6:00 am finishing your 25-page project proposal for your technical communication class. You managed one and a half hours of sleep before rushing to hand it in at 8:00 am. There is only one thing left to do; print it. You go to the computer cluster in the HUB and are happy to find many vacant computers. Control+Alt+Delete. User-name and password. Welcome… A minute goes by. Five minutes. Ten. The girl next to you, who is creeping on Facebook, can't witness the suffering any longer, so she says, "Yea, a lot of people have been having problems with that one. I'd try another computer." You get up and scan the room. You try another. Same problem. You try another computer, there is no mouse. Last computer. Server cannot complete request. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE COMPUTERS IN THE HUB?!

Last week, there was a point when eight HUB computers sported signs that read, "BROKEN." How can eight computers simultaneously breakdown?

 The HUB computer cluster holds the most centralized printer on campus. This is the Mecca for all potential printer patrons. There once was a time when you were lucky to even score an open computer. Now, even if there are six open computers, you still have to play Russian roulette to find out which computer won't blow up in your face.

The most peculiar thing of all is that it is never the same damn computers. It is as if some IT major with a sick sense of humor breaks into the HUB late at night and decides which computers will be broken the next day.

With that thought in mind, I scaled up the hill to the library to get some answers. Information Desk Supervisor Mike Cosma speculated on some of the potential problems facing the computers on campus, specifically those in the HUB computer cluster. 

The malfunctions with the computers are a byproduct of normal wear and tear. Cosma says, "The HUB cluster is the most heavily used cluster on campus. The computers are business models designed for heavy use, but every once in a while the computers are going to get slow, and we need to replace the software." The software in all of the computers on campus is upgraded every semester. And the computers themselves get replaced every three years, so you are guaranteed to have some fresh equipment at some point in your college career. 

The computers in other places, like the library, are more spread out and on the margins of campus. This results in fewer breakdowns which occur further apart. So it may be worth it to budget your time and try to get on a computer away from the HUB. Also, be courteous. If you see a panicky student who is fifteen minutes away from jumping out of a window if he doesn't get his term paper printed out, and you are emotionlessly checking Facebook to see whose birthday is coming up, please, let the poor kid use the computer for a moment. Then you can continue to pretend your life is important.