Twelve brand-new, flat-screen Mac computers awaited students at the grand opening of the student computer lab in the Cesar Chavez Student Center on Sept. 29.

The computer lab is located on the Terrace Level of the student center in Room T-143. The main objective is to help provide every SF State student access to a computer, printer and a place to hang out and study. For at least the next year, the newly-opened lab serves as the temporary location for a larger computer lab that is still under construction.

To use the lab’s facilities, all a student needs is a valid SF State ID. If all the computer stations are occupied, there will be a two-hour time limit for students on the computer and a sign-up sheet for people waiting. There is no limit as to how many pages a student can print out and students are encouraged to browse the Web for personal and/or academic needs.

Founded by SF State student and Governing Board Chairperson of the student center Liliana Cortez, the computer lab was a project she thought she’d never see happen. Four years after pitching the idea at several Associated Student Inc. meetings, Cortez said she was excited and emotional to see the vision she had so passionately pushed for come to life.

“On opening day I will cry for sure,” Cortez, 23, said a week before the opening. “This means so much to me and I’m glad to see the lab open before I graduate in the spring.”

Cortez wanted to start the computer lab because she wanted to give students who weren’t fortunate enough to have computers or the Internet a place to do their homework. She found out that SF State was one of the two out of the 23 CSUs that didn’t have a computer lab for students of every major.

“I thought about what I could do to service the students,” Cortez said. “This was something I thought the students needed and I felt it was my job to give it to them.”

Two years after Cortez pitched the idea, the computer lab project was approved. A budget was given (the amount is undisclosed), and Guy Dalpe, managing director of the student center, joined in helping to get the computer lab up and running. “This project wouldn’t have happened without Lili,” Dalpe said. “I wanted to make sure that this lab would really assist the students.”

Dalpe, who is in charge of what goes in the student center, said he was excited about the opening but still has to work on the permanent location of the lab.

The permanent home for the computer lab is literally just a few steps away from Room T-143, right next to Jack Adams Hall in Pyramid One. The room has to go under heavy construction because there is severe leaking and mold. Currently, the room is used as a storage area with desks and boxes, but it is much bigger than T-143 and looks as if there will be space for people to sit and read. Dalpe said that once the room is fixed, at least eight more computer stations will be added.

“With the renovation of the library, this computer lab is needed right now,” said Fred Eskridge, IT director of the SFSU Bookstore. “There is a lot of pressure on this computer lab and we want it to be successful and useful to students.”

The bookstore signed a contract to be a part of the computer lab project. The bookstore will be providing the staff and overseeing the daily duties. Eskridge, 36, is in charge of managing the project from here on out and has been looking forward to the grand opening. “I really want the lab to be successful,” Eskridge said. “I hope the students use it, as well as respect it.”

According to Eskridge, students vandalized and stole from a computer lab that once sat on the second floor of the student center. “A mouse would be missing or a keyboard would be switched out,” Eskridge recalled. “My staff won’t tolerate any sort of that behavior this time and people who don’t appreciate or
respect the lab will be banned.”

Eskridge said he has a security alarm and plans to have someone on duty to ensure the safety of the computer lab. So far Eskridge has five people on his staff, but plans to double it when the permanent lab opens.

The lab also provides a quiet study area for students. The computers have audio capability, but a headphone is required when using sound. For those seeking a place to do a group project, Eskridge asks that they find a different location as group projects could be a distraction for others.

The computer lab is open six days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, with shorter Saturday hours; the schedule for Saturdays is still undecided.

“There hasn’t been enough promotion for this lab, which is what I’m a little concerned about,” Eskridge said. “But this is an exciting opportunity that I hope lasts a long time.”