Sigma Alpha Delta Launches Computer Donation Program

Sigma Alpha Delta, Baruch College's oldest and most accomplished honor society, has established a new program to support students in their studies. The Baruch College Computer Fund, also known as CompuS.A.D, is the newest program that Sigma Alpha Delta has added to its growing list of contributions to the Baruch community since 1932.

CompuS.A.D. was launched in November 2003 at the New Candidates Dinner by the former Sigma Alpha Delta President, Eric Green, as a modern day version of The Textbook Fund that Sigma Alpha ran at Baruch in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Students spend long hours and stay late into the night at the computer lab in order to finish homework, write papers and access online materials. As an honor society of both evening and day students, many are juggling jobs along with schoolwork, leaving little time for sitting in the lab at school.

One Sigma Alpha Delta member who requested a computer stated, "I do not own a computer at home and oftentimes find myself staying back quite late in school to access the computer lab." Others have voiced concern about having to ride the subway home late at night, with frequent train delays adding to the inconvenience.

CompuS.A.D. plans to serve many functions, not just supplying computers to students in need. Diane Nafornita, CompuS.A.D. program director, and Richard de la Cruz, chairman of programs, hope to set up a laptop in the cafeteria to enable Baruch students to check their e-mail. CompuS.A.D. is also considering offering free fax service next year to students who are in the process of looking for jobs and need to send out resumés or other information. This last function is appropriate for Sigma Alpha Delta whose adviser, Dr. Patricia Imbimbo, is head of Baruch's Career Development Center.

Carlos Coto, current president of Sigma Alpha Delta, said, "The computer donation program, although in its infancy, has the potential of bringing great service to the entire Baruch Community. We have already established relationships with certain corporations that will ensure the continuation of the program in the future."

Eric Green, Diane Nafornita, and Mikhail Vitebskiy donated the computers to Sigma Alpha Delta. The computers are equipped with either Windows 98 or 2000 and have a full range of office programs. The students may be asked to pay a small fee for the computers, but it will be considerably less than the retail cost for one of these computers.

During Sigma Alpha Delta's Induction Ceremony on May 7, at least four students will receive computers. There are many students who have expressed an interest in receiving one of the computers, but at the time, the society is no longer accepting applications. They are planning on accepting more applications once more computers have been acquired, hopefully by the fall or perhaps even sooner.

Dmitrijs Nahajs, chairman of events, said, "The goal of the program is to give Baruch students without computers a better chance to advance, allowing them to work on their school projects from the comfort of their homes, without having to adjust their schedules to fit Baruch's computer labs and ride the subways home late at night."

Sigma Alpha Delta has a 70-year history of providing students with the support and resources to ensure that they succeed not only in school, but in life as well. Their mission statement on www.sigmabaruch.org explains, the society "Seeks to provide continuous support for its members in their pursuit of academic excellence, valuable communitarian contributions and sustainable networking opportunities, all with a focus on diversity and for the betterment of present and future generations."