There have been some concerns about rising prices for the IBM replacement parts.

When we service machines that have been damaged or are no longer working we need to assess whether or not the part is covered under warranty or if the damage was caused by the user. Typical parts covered under warranty include sleep buttons, video cards, hard drives, CPU, RAM, and power plugs. Of course, any part that has been damaged physically is void of warranty and the university will be charged to replace the part. We pass on this cost to the user who has taken responsibility of the machine.

The pricing for parts changes daily. We contact IBM directly and receive a preferred vendor discount. To give you an idea of what the prices are currently I have listed some common parts that need to be replaced and the quoted price as of 3/17/07.

• LCD screen–461.43
• Keyboard–54.13
• Motherboard–343.79
• DVD drive–201.48
• Hinges–26.50
• Clips–7.48
• Dimm Door–20.13
• Power Cord–73.60

Shipping is $15 and the University has usually absorbed this cost and the cost of labor.

I hope this clears up some of the confusion with part pricing. Prices usually trend up, the R52’s are on a more rapid incline than the R40’s. This trend is contrary to technology prices with obsolete models but supply and demand seems to override the accepted model for technology.

Things are moving forward with our tech appeals process. The committee has updated the form to streamline the process and allow for a faster decision making process. We are also working on an automated response when an appeal form is submitted. There were some concerns about summer appeals being delayed because senate was not in session. The committee realized the need for continuous review of appeals to ensure proper processing time. There was a consensus for making a transition to a faculty led committee with student representation. In order to ensure student representation in the appeals process we have created online resources that can be accessed by student senate members from remote locations–whether or not senate is in session–and we will review previous scenarios to take precedent into consideration. I believe that these steps will help to bring additional consistency to the appeals process.