New MHC Students to Receive Flash Drives

August 21, 2006

Posted: August 22, 2006

For the first time, this year's incoming students will get 128-megabyte flash drives as part of their orientation materials. In addition to being handy information repositories for the academic--and nonacademic--materials they'll be accumulating during their studies, the drives provide access to useful information that will help new students navigate college life.

"It's a way to provide information to students in a new way," said Aime DeGrenier, manager of community technical support for Library and Information Technology Services, which is leading the flash drive effort. "Students don't want printouts, booklets, or written materials; they just want access to information."

The flash drive, emblazoned with the College logo and red to mark the class color, holds the Web address for a welcoming letter from Chief Information Officer Pat Albanese and the LITS staff with links not only to crucial network-related materials, but also information from President Creighton, the Alumnae Association, Public Safety, and numerous other departments and offices. The information array also includes screen savers and software to save energy for computer monitors.

The flash drives, holding the storage capability of nearly 90 3.5-inch floppy disks, will allow students to transfer information to computers across campus, no matter the operating system. Beyond providing an entire orientation package that can fit onto a student's key chain, increasing use of flash drive technology on campus is a part of the College's commitment to the environment.

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