"Are you sure you want to restart your computer now?" Hardly.
For the last three hours, I have been struggling to maintain my composure, GPA and battery life. Nestled into a cozy corner in the wireless-friendly Fair Trade Coffeehouse, I've been attempting to complete a lab for my communicative disorders class. After numerous attempts to install the program, I've repeatedly been told to restart and try again. And again.
One failed attempt after another yields nothing but angry and desperate emails to my professor. His responses are painfully simple: "install the supplied software and restart your PC" or "try using a different browser." How is it that, in such a remarkably progressive, politically correct university, I feel like a victim of discrimination? There is something not so "PC" about UW-Madison — if you are a Mac user.
Apple's place in college life was resurrected with the introduction of the iPod and it hasn't budged since. Millions of co-eds strut to class each day with the distinctively familiar white ear buds, so it isn't surprising that Apple gears a substantial portion of its marketing toward college students.
In 2005, Apple launched a back-to-school promo that gave a free iPod Mini — now the Nano — to students buying a new computer. The pitch apparently worked, because over past three years, the Mac has steadily gained respect and bridged the great divide between bookworms, fashionistas and computer geeks. College students can't get enough.
According to a recent student computing survey done by the Division of Information Technology, 20 percent of students said they use a Mac, up from 2005 when only 11 percent of students were Mac users.
As a part of that 20 percent, I have to admit: I snicker when others take out their bulky gray eyesores to study. I enjoy flaunting my sleek silver beauty. So what if I like it because it's pretty?
Our Macs should be given the same respect as any Dell, HP or Gateway. The university doesn't seem to share my feelings. For three classes in my major alone, I've been told to pack up, head to a computer lab and find a PC, whereas the rest of my classmates with PCs can complete their assignments while eating Oreos in their PJs. My consolation? "Sorry, this won't work on a Mac."
I'm aware that it isn't very difficult to borrow a friend's PC, head over to one of Helen C's computer labs or even check out a laptop for a few days. My problem is that Mac users at UW are practically considered members of the lunatic fringe. The dark days of computing are long-gone, so inferior performance is no excuse for the lack of compatibility between the Mac and PC worlds.
Apple attempted a peace treaty of sorts when a fed up Steve Jobs decided to configure the new Macs to run Windows and OSX, the Mac operating system, simultaneously through an Intel chip, so frustrated users could run the programs they couldn't use on OSX. But where does that leave all other Mac enthusiasts who can't go out and buy the latest software or machine?
Sure, in a game of tug-of-war, Apple might land on its butt in the mud after one tug from the overwhelming monopoly of Windows users. Quantity, however, doesn't overrule quality, and any Mac user would be happy to tell you why he or she will never go back to the PC.
My solution? The UW-Madison faculty needs to meet with the DoIT team and discuss ways to make the university more Mac-friendly.
Contenders may argue that 20 percent is too small a minority to bother using university money toward making UW a Mac-friendly campus, but that doesn't take into consideration that faculty use Macs as well, as this data was not included in the computing survey. Macs are notorious for their specialty in graphics, so a larger percentage of both students and faculty in fields like design or film rely heavily on Macs.
I'm not suggesting that Mac users stage a coup and overthrow the university's computing system, but the current situation can't even be called separate-but-equal. Although the libraries have finally served up justice by offering Apples both in the labs and for check-out, smaller niches at UW still rely on the PC. Why hasn't the rest of the university caught on? It isn't PC to support only PCs.
So stand tall and stand proud, fellow Mac users; we shouldn't have to drive ourselves to insanity with a simple homework assignment. Students, regardless of their operating system, should be given the courtesy of homework and class material that is compatible with both systems.
Laura Brennan ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in communicative disorders.
