Out with textbooks, in with technology. It is the transition that some faculty and students are making but that not every professor wants.

About half the student body took advantage of its $30 printing credits last semester. And more than that, about 800 students used up all of their printing credit while about 4,500 students used more than half of their funds. Although the extra printing funds can help students save money, the University should be moving in a direction in which students rarely need to dip into those credits and can instead submit paperwork online.

Students are still required to print out written assignments, articles and readings for class discussions instead of pulling up assignments on a computer. Printing costs money, and students should not need to use up their funds because a professor wants a multi-page article printed for class every week. Not only does it eat up GWorld funds, but it impacts the amount of waste the University contributes to the environment. Giving students printing credit is a step toward improving affordability, but we should rarely need to lean on those funds.

Professors should not require students to print out assignments because they can easily be emailed or submitted through Blackboard. Changing the University’s policies on printing would help us shift into a more technological world, alleviate an unnecessary financial burden and improve the University’s environmental impact.

Printing a single-sided black and white page costs nine cents, six cents for a double-sided page and 32 cents per colored page. I once took a class that required readings upward of 40 pages long – about $3.50 per week – which drained my GWorld funds for just the one course. Requiring that all readings be printed caused students undue financial strain for little benefit.

Forcing students to print their assignments also ignores the changing times. In a digital age, students will need to use more technology than paper when they enter the workforce. Standardized tests like the LSAT are moving online, and students are applying to jobs and internships with PDFs of their cover letters and resumes. Requiring that students continue to print their work is unrealistic in a world that is increasingly moving online.

Printing everything is not only unrealistic in this modern age, but it disregards the environmental impact of printing. In past years, Student Association leaders and officials have tried to limit the necessary printing through the Save a Million campaign, which urged students to print double-sided at kiosks around campus. The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences also runs a “CCAS Print Management Project” to track how many pieces of paper are printed and reduce the environmental impact of unchecked printing. Even CCAS advisers have recently announced that they are going paperless for their forms, but some professors will not budge and do the same.

Professors need to modernize their classroom and go paperless. In turn, the University and students will spend less on printing, and GW will move toward a more technological world if everyone is encouraged to submit assignments through email, Google Drive or Blackboard.

There are already services available in Gelman Library for professors to learn more about Blackboard services and technology, from how to get started on Blackboard to how to hold tests online and turn in assignments electronically. If professors utilize these services and learn to use them in their courses, students would not spend as much on printing out their readings and assignments.

Allowing students to turn in papers and other assignments on Blackboard will further reduce the amount of paper being used for printing and will lessen our reliance on paper in the classroom. Professors would not need to spend as much money on printing their syllabi or exams and students would save money, making the shift a win-win for both faculty and students.

Allyson Bonhaus, a freshman majoring in history, is an opinions writer.