Tough times have spurred the college into action with many changes around campus; new and recurring fees and additional woes on EvCC students are evidence of these changes.

A notable change has been the student printing limit of 350 pages per quarter per student.

This quota has been applied to student computer accounts and deducted from an allotted amount on a program called PaperCut.

"We canvassed other academic institutions for their current print quotas," said Michael Klim, director of information technology at EvCC.

"Some colleges offered less and others offered more. We fit ourselves neatly into the middle."

Everyone has heard of this change, and some have objected to the limit.

While students have suffered increased tuition costs even as the economy slumps, the page quota seems to be working.

EvCC conducted a study of student printing statistics this quarter to coincide with the recent change.

Results were shown at the beginning of the sixth week, they are as follows:

- 2,572 students have printed between zero and 150 pages

- 55 students have printed between 151 and 200 pages

- 22 students have printed between 201 and 250 pages

- 10 students have printed between 251 and 300 pages

- Six students have printed over 300 pages

According to these results, students have printed a total of 95,142 pages to date, which equates to 190.3 reams of paper.

Since this is EvCC's attempt to keep the campus as environmentally friendly as possible, here are other ways to view this consumption in a more "green" light:

- 1.33 trees were used to make the pages

- 919.2 kg of CO2 was produced to make the pages

The results of this ongoing study offers an interesting peek into student habits, as well as evidence that students were not using much paper to start with.

"There are a large number of students who are not printing on campus. The numbers reflect students who have printed at least 1 page this quarter," said Klim.

The college will be using information gathered from student printing activity to create a baseline for future printing quotas.

Current student printer use shows that students are conserving as well, a good sign for the future of EvCC.

"Students are managing their print allocations wisely. We see less waste in the lab recycle bins. We are also seeing less 'home business' use of state resources. Student printing has been significantly reduced," said Klim.

Regardless of how it's looked at, the program has been a success for the college thus far, hopefully reducing costs for the future and keeping toner costs low, along with less wasted paper.