By Marco Negrete
Staff Writer
As the final weeks of the semester approach, the stress of finals becomes a reality.
In these weeks, the library gets packed, and the ability to access a computer becomes less and less likely.
So why not check out a laptop instead? The Technology Checkout Program, also known as TCP, allows students to do exactly that.
To become part of the checkout program, students must go through a clearance process and fill out a Master Rental Agreement, or MRA, once per fiscal year before they can check out a laptop or iPad.
“The MRA covers things like fees for lost and broken laptops and iPads,” said Program Coordinator Alisa Banks-Vera. “Once a student has filled out the MRA, he or she must wait for approximately 24 hours before checking out a laptop or iPad.”
This waiting period is necessary, due to the amount of time it takes to verify that the student is currently enrolled in CSUDH, and to enter their information into the program’s checkout system.
Students will then receive an email in their Toromail accounts, notifying them that they are cleared for checkout.
“Students have a week before they have to return the laptop or iPad,” Banks said. “So if they rented it on Tuesday they [have] until the following Tuesday … to return it.”
In the event all laptops are checked out, students will be placed on a waitlist and will receive and email notifying them when laptops become available. Once a student returns a laptop, they must wait a full 24 hours before they can check out a laptop again.
The Technology Checkout Program is co-located with the group study reservation office in the library.
There, students can also reserve group study rooms. The study rooms in the second floor have a capacity of three to five people, while the study rooms in the third floor have a capacity of four to eight people. The rooms can be reserved for two-hour blocks and require a valid student ID.
Both programs offer great resources to students to help ease the pain of finals.
The TCP/Group Study Reservation Office is located on the second floor of the library in Room 2039. The office is open 8:30 a.m. to 11p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
