Springfield Technical Community College received a gift from telecommunication company T-Mobile which will allow the STCC Library to more than double the total number of mobile hotspots lent to students.
Pictured: STCC student Robert Cavers, of East Longmeadow, third from right, holds a mobile hotspot. He stands with, from left, STCC student Kisha Jones, of Springfield; Bjorn Dragsbaek, senior manager, public sector sales, state, local and education, T-Mobile; STCC student Jasmine Feliz, of Springfield; Ryan Lopes, government account manager, public sector sales, state, local and education, T-Mobile; STCC President John B. Cook; and Erica Eynouf, dean of the library at STCC.
Students can borrow mobile hotspots, which are small boxes with a cell phone data plan, and take them anywhere to access the internet for studying. The units create hotspots, which are areas where a user can access the internet using Wi-Fi.
The mobile hotspots emit a Wi-Fi signal that connects students’ personal devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones to the internet.
STCC started lending students mobile hotspots in 2017 after receiving a grant administered by the Massachusetts Library System. T-Mobile’s donation boosts the number of mobile hotspots to 45 from 20.
STCC also has 75 Chromebook laptops that students can borrow. The lending of the laptops and mobile hotspots is part of the library’s digital equity program.
The STCC Foundation accepted the gift from T-Mobile, which is valued at $9,000. The STCC Foundation, a nonprofit organization, helps the college meet its goals and commitment to provide superior educational opportunities in the community.
“I think it’s a really good idea, especially for students who don’t have internet on their phone or can’t connect to Wi-Fi,” said Jasmine Feliz, an STCC student from Springfield who attended an event at the STCC Library on Nov. 22 announcing the T-Mobile grant. “I know there are a lot of students who don’t have Wi-Fi at home or can’t afford to pay for the internet. They can come here and borrow the hotspots, so it will be really good for them.”
STCC President John B. Cook thanked T-Mobile for the donation, which he said will have a positive impact on students. “Access means many things to STCC students, and hotspots ensure student entrée to ideas, information, data and resources. STCC students work so hard, and to help them on or off-campus is tremendously valuable. We are grateful to T-Mobile for helping our students leverage their learning with this technology,” he said.
Erica Eynouf, dean of the library at STCC, said the contribution will help remove barriers for students. “We know that many of our students do not have access to Wi-Fi at home, which means our digital lending is critical for their success at STCC,” she said.
According to a 2016 Pew Research Center study, one-fifth of adults who lived in households with annual incomes less than $30,000 were “smartphone-only” internet users, which means they own a smartphone but do not have broadband internet or a device at home.
The digital divide shows up at school in what has been called the “homework gap” – students who have access to high-speed internet at home and those who don’t. Some 5 million school-age children do not have a broadband internet connection at home, with low-income households accounting for a disproportionate share.
T-Mobile’s national EmpowerED initiative is aimed at bridging the “homework gap” – the uneven playing field that exists when millions of low-income students are unable to access the digital tools necessary to succeed inside and outside of the classroom.
“T-Mobile believes every child deserves access to the tools they need to be successful in today’s fast-paced online world,” said Ryan Lopes, Government Account Manager, State/Local Government & Education, T-Mobile for Government. “Having a computer at home and access to high-speed wireless can help bridge the digital divide for a whole family – allowing students to keep up with homework while supporting the rest of the family with internet access as well.”
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