WOU now prioritizes Chromebook lending to Pell Grant and Oregon Opportunity Grant recipients. The Financial Aid Office will, at a student's request, inform the library if the student qualifies for priority access. (Why?)
Priority access provides term-long loans and automatic extensions through the following terms.
Standard access provides a two-week loan, but if demand is low, the library extends loans as appropriate.
All Chromebook borrowing begins with this annual form to establish a student's Priority or Standard access. Assuming a Chromebook is available, the library loans for two weeks. When the Financial Aid Office confirms a student's Priority status, the library extends the initial loan to the term's end. As the student registers for courses in the following term, the library further extends the loan.
If no Chromebooks are available, form submissions go to the waitlist. The library serves in order of priority and timestamp.
Students must return Chromebooks if they drop enrollment, by their due date, or at the end of Spring term, whichever comes first. A replacement charge ($400+) applies when a Chromebook is not returned promptly.
With most course content and activities now on Canvas, students must have a screen larger than a mobile phone to succeed. WOU leaders know that the tech barrier hits low-income students the hardest. This priority system improves access to the learning environment. It encourages students to engage and persist until graduation.
This form, with Priority status selected, messages WOU's Office of Financial Aid. They check your aid package. Then, they either confirm the Priority status or assign Standard status. The library does not receive any other financial information.
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