The last year has forced all of us to grapple with a “new normal.” This normal was filled with buggy computers, slow Zoom calls, crashing hard drives and a new brand of stress that many of us did not experience until we were forced to stare at screens for hours each day.

Before last year, our world was already going digital. The COVID-19 pandemic merely sped this process up. Though we’re beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel, this technological climate is here to stay, as is the stress and anxiety students feel about malfunctioning equipment.

UT currently has a campus computer store that provides technical services for the UT community. However, repairs can still remain inaccessible to some students, forcing them to look off campus for solutions.

Though the UT Campus Computer Store has some measures to make a frustrating process of repairs somewhat easier, they do not go far enough. UT should provide subsidized diagnostics and repairs for its students.

The Campus Computer Store provides an “academic discount” for diagnostics and repairs on Apple and PC devices. According to an email from Andrew Huoni, general manager of the Campus Computer Store, there is a 90-day warranty on repairs done with parts that are provided by the store.

Because these measures are in place, the expectation is that students will be able to easily access course materials on their devices and partake in online class activities. However, this expectation ignores the problems that students still experience.

The Campus Computer Store has “academic discounts,” but even with these, students are finding it difficult or frustrating to take advantage of these opportunities. Neither the Campus Computer Store nor IT Services were available to comment prior to the publication of this article.

UT needs to find better ways to help students with their technological issues. This could take the shape of a few different methods. One approach would be to further subsidize the cost of diagnostics and virus removal on campus.

“I think (subsidizing costs at the computer store) would be a big help,” said Clara Mundy, English and French junior. “Especially for students who maybe don’t have regular jobs or lost them because of the pandemic, that would take a lot off their shoulders.”

Many members of our UT community have been gripped by the financial struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic and deserve to receive all the help they can get from their university. UT needs to recognize how important it is to help the most vulnerable, as technology issues are and will continue to be a significant issue for students.

“Hopefully another crisis like this doesn’t happen again in our lifetime, but if that were to happen, it’s already sort of built in to our infrastructure to be able to switch to all online,” Mundy said. “I feel like people will for sure still be dealing with this stuff for a while.”

The tools that students need to merely operate in an academic environment should be available to them in the most convenient and stress-free manner. Technology is the future and must be a part of that conversation.

Díaz is an English sophomore from San Antonio, Texas.