Breaking Technology Barriers

A&M-San Antonio rolled out a program that allows students to borrow one of the most important pieces of equipment in their academic journey — a laptop. A kiosk near the vestibule at the University Library’s entrance has a selection of laptops available for rent for up to four hours free of charge. The laptop rental program is funded by a $3 million U.S. Department of Education grant that helps address economic challenges and improves access to technology for students. In addition to the library kiosk, the grant funds a laptop loaner program through ITS, which enables undergraduate students to rent a laptop for up to a semester. And through another DOE grant project, the University loans laptops through ITS to graduate students only. These services are especially important in South San Antonio, where many households lack access to the internet and computer equipment.