Students should be given a choice to refresh laptops

A few weeks ago my Samsung Ultrabook just died, the screen would not turn on. It had just been fixed and was in my possession for a little over three weeks. Add on the fact that it died on a Saturday night, and you have yourself one mad man. I'm not sure if you know this, but the Laptop Consultation Area is open Monday to Friday, just like any other department. They offer 24-hour assistance though, so that makes up for it, right? Not even close. I still had to wait until Monday morning to get it checked out. The whole thing ended up being pretty easy on Monday morning. Many props to the workers at PCSS, you guys get to business, and I appreciate that. I had no problems and a relatively short wait. As I received my loaner, the Lenovo T510, it really got me thinking, I like this laptop a whole lot better than the Samsung. It's bigger, sturdier, and I'm a huge fan of the TrackPoint scrolling feature. That calmed me down a bit, seeing the Lenovo back, but I was still annoyed that I had to wait two days to get it fixed. You, Seton Hall, gave me a laptop that I didn't even want, and then tell me I need to wait to get said laptop fixed? I thought the whole point of having a laptop given to us was a convenience, but it's really a hassle. Let me make this clear, I'm not asking the consultation to be open 24/7, but the area of operation needs to be open for some hours during the weekend. If my laptop just shuts down on a Friday at 6:01 p.m., after the consultation area closes, I'm done for the weekend. This wasn't all I came away with on that Monday. Some people (much like me) do not like the technology given to them. They key word here is given. We, the students, don't have a choice when it is time to refresh our laptops. I get that the Honor's Program, Business Leadership Program, and science majors are big draws to the school, but that means they get top-of-the line equipment? What about me? I get a non-sturdy, underperforming, and weak laptop. I'm not even asking for the Samsung Slate, here. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as salty or jealous. I'm really not. All I want is a choice; a chance to choose if I want the upgrade. It doesn't hurt the school if I keep my old laptop. I don't need Windows 8 or SkyDrive. All I need is the internet and Microsoft Office. I may be the only one in this mindset, but I'm very simple. I find all the new features a distraction to schoolwork. All I ask for is one of two things. The first is if the school gives us a laptop, their consultation area should be opened weekends. Even if it's three hours on Saturdays and Sundays, that is still enough to help students. If the University cannot do this, give me a choice of keeping my laptop or refreshing. That's all I ask. T.J. Brennan is a junior journalism major from Long Island, N.Y. He can be reached at thomas.brennan@student.shu.edu.