What Boils My Egg

As I write this, I am watching several of my peers log onto their Eastern accounts, coffee in hand and twitching with anticipation for their class registration sign-up to begin. Their eyes glazed over as they hit Refresh, waiting for the opportunity to snag the last seats for their next semester’s classes. Luckily for me, I get to graduate in December. All I have to do is print out my assignments and attend class. Except, I’m having a bit of trouble completing these tasks…

You know what really boils my egg?

WEPA. Every last bit of it, from the wait times to the costs. In all honesty, there were multiple people who have approached me and said, “Steve, if you don’t write about WEPA, I will inflict pain upon you with the wrath of a thousand brutes.” And, since my pain threshold is fairly low, I suppose I will appease the masses.

When I first received word that there would be paid printing from now on, I must admit – I was not completely opposed to the idea. The amount of paper wasted at the library can be ungodly. Plus, there is the benefit of wireless printing, which seemed like a cool idea.

But then I met a WEPA kiosk, one-on-one, and my perspective changed drastically. I am fairly tech-savvy when it comes to computers, but this was a beast I was not ready for. As a product that boasts its “user-friendly” screen and “easy” payment options, I had high expectations. Instead, I was greeted by an elaborate interface, with at least six different payment possibilities that were labeled confusing names.

And the cost to print is outright balderdash. Yes, I said balderdash. At one time, I printed fourteen pages, with a resulting cost of over $10! Perhaps I chose the Super Special Paper Extravaganza option, or perhaps the ink was made of liquid platinum. Regardless, a plain-text document of that size should be no more than $5 at most. It has actually dissuaded me from printing on campus at all, which could very well be the motive. But I am a broke college student – cut me some slack!

Look, I understand the need for paid printing. It saves both paper and money for the university. And, theoretically, WEPA does this and more. But it is time to think of the students’ wallets. WEPA has got to go.

Consider this egg: boiled.