LARAMIE - Although the sound of clattering laptop keyboards has already become commonplace inside University of Wyoming classrooms, UW officials and faculty members are considering a proposal that would require students buy laptops upon admission to the university.

Such a proposal is still in preliminary stages, but both the UW student government and the faculty senate have supported resolutions that call for the study of a mandatory laptop program. And all eight of UW's college deans have expressed preliminary support for the proposal.

The program being proposed is similar to mandatory laptop programs that have been implemented in a growing number of universities across the country. Typically, the school signs an exclusive contract with a computer manufacturer, which then sells students the required laptops for discounted prices. The students are reissued new laptops every two years with a full warranty and can then keep the laptops upon leaving the university.

Kenton Walker, an accounting professor who helped draft the faculty senate proposal, said such a program would level the academic playing field for university students and help coordinate current computer use inside the classroom.

"What it does is it makes sure everybody has the same capabilities. They don't now," he said. "Our current situation is really chaotic. Just about every occupation people do today involves a computer, and the more accustomed students are to the computer, the more adaptable they are to the workplace."

In February, the UW student government passed a resolution in support of such a program, although student senator Mark Chollak said a big concern to students is the cost.

"Overall, there was quite a bit of general support for the idea, as long as it is cost effective," he said. "Basically, at that time (of the resolution), our concerns were how much mandatory laptops would raise tuition."

"(The issue of cost) is sort of a red herring," said Walker, who speculated a laptops might cost a student $300 a semester. "We're not talking about a quantum leap in cost here - and you would get something in return. It wouldn't just be going to a black hole."

Tom Buchanan, the current UW vice president of academic affairs who will become the interim president of UW in June, said issues of cost were of main concern among UW faculty and administrators.

"We are continuing the discussion," Buchanan said. "There are folks on both sides of the issue. It's an important topic, and we're seeing a healthy discussion."

Walker said the fall term of 2006 would be the earliest a mandatory laptop program could be implemented at UW.

Grad student concerns

UW officials have already issued informal surveys about the proposal to the graduate school body, although to negative reviews.

"The overwhelming consensus was that graduate students do not support the proposition that purchasing a laptop computer is mandatory," wrote UW graduate school dean Don Roth in an e-mail to graduate students. "Therefore, this will not be pursued although we will try to negotiate deals on an optional basis…"

UW has since expanded the solicitation of opinions to include the student body as a whole.

"We are not asking anyone to buy a computer," read a subsequent e-mail, "but to consider what may occur if and when wide-spread use of mobile computing units occur (sic) at the undergraduate level."

"My personal feeling is for it to be left up to individual students," said Chollak, who is a graduate student. "We've spent millions of dollars on the computer labs. What will become of those labs? I'd hate to see us put all this money in these labs and have it wiped away."