by Eben Griger
We’ve all got those old electronics laying around. That old flip phone, the laptop that failed, the old CRT computer monitor. It’s that (information) age-old problem. Old electronics aren’t exactly trash, nobody tosses their old MP3 player in the garbage, but you can’t really throw it in a recycling bin either. Until now, that is.
The Ball State Technology Center, located in Bracken library, is now taking your old technology and recycling it for you, free of charge. Byte spoke to BSU Director of Unified Technology Support Laura Petty about the program.
“Ball State is always looking for ways to be environmentally responsible, and so providing a way for folks to recycle or dispose of their technology items properly was a big thing for us,” Petty said. “It just seemed like a good service for the university community.”
So let’s break down some things about this service. First, what they’ll take. All of the standard items are there, laptops: desktop computers, mobile phones and tablets. Also accepted though, are monitors, printers and network equipment like modems and wireless routers. The only thing they don’t take is TVs.
All the Technology Center asks you do is wipe the device of any personal data. If you’re not sure how to do that, the Technology Center has you covered there too. TechTime, free to all enrolled students, will walk you through how to wipe all your data. After it’s wiped, bring it to the Technology Center in Bracken, fill out a quick form, and you’re good to go.
And if you’re worried about anything you’ve forgotten to wipe, have no fear because no one gets that data anyways. Instead of being resold or repurposed, all donated technology has their hard drives and other memory devices taken out and smashed, ensuring that any personal data can’t be recovered.
“We want to make sure that we’re being good stewards of university resources, make sure were taking all appropriate security measures to protect data and by destroying those drives, wiping them and everything, then we can be assured that everything is safe.”
For any questions on the new program, contact the Technology HelpDesk at (765) 285-1817, Monday-Thursay 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
