In
2002, EPCC purchased 1,535 personal computers and started a project
called the PC Recycle Program. The program goes into effect every
three years as new computers are purchased by the college.
In 2005, the college acquired 1,900 PC’s, 1,640 old PC’s
were deemed fit to be recycled after and intense screening by the
Students Technology Service, according to Gary Chacon, manager of
Integrated Technology from STS.
“It was a process that involved a lot of people,” said
Chacon of the recycle PC program.
Dell Najera, IT Committee chair, said that with the assistance of
the STS and the IT technicians, they were able to check out and test
all of the computers to see if the machines were in condition to be
reused and recycled.
As
El Paso Community College aquires state of the art computers, it refurbishes
and recycles old computers, and makes them
available to schools which can
put them to good use. Many of the
computers are still in servicable condition.
Chacon
also pointed out that it was more “economically feasible”
to fix the computers rather than replace several others all together.
Approximately 377 of the 1,640 computers were distributed to other
schools, such as Sanchez Middle School.
The rest of the computers were recycled internally, within the college
at an administrative level throughout the EPCC campuses. The majority
of those computers are still functional and being used to this day.
The computers are not given to the outside parties; rather, they are
on a loan basis. The process for getting a refurbished machine consists
of a simple “memo of understanding” between the college
and the borrowing party.
By 2008, the college will have another opportunity to buy new computers
and will offer, yet again, another chance for the old computers to
be recycled.
The PC Recycle Program is funded by the IT Committee. Although numbers
were not readily available, the college saves a considerable amount
of money by participating in this program.
While new PC’s can cost the college nearly $1,000 for a monitor
and CPU, refurbished computers cost only a fraction of that price.
EPCC President Richard Rhodes gives the IT committee a budget at the
beginning of every school year, according to Najera.
IT then uses the budget to buy computers and fund projects and technology
that will keep the college up-to-date.This way the college tries to
ensure it uses only state-of-the-art hardware and software.
