Center for Equitable Digital Access celebrates grand opening
Melanie Nguyen wrote this article for Cal State Fullerton’s Daily Titan. It is available for republication or reference. If you think their work is important, you can support it here.
The Center for Equitable Digital Access held its grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 25 on the second floor of the Pollak Library North.
CEDA is a part of the Division of Information Technology and the Pollak Library, with the goal to provide technological solutions in order to enhance educational and professional development.
“The day is important for Pollak Library. It’s another instance in which IT and library collaboration contribute to student success. The library is happy to provide a home for CEDA,” said Emily Bonney, dean of Pollak Library .
Faculty, staff, students and parents came to witness the opening, which included speeches from Cal State Fullerton President Fram Virjee, Amir Dabirian, the vice president of Information Technology and Josh Mitchell, ASI president.
“Every ribbon cutting offers hope for students. It offers new opportunities and we see that today with CEDA,” Mitchell said.
The ceremony also included a tour of CEDA and its services.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” Dabirian said. “The center is the first of its kind to provide a complete technology ecosystem for our students, including support, training and setup softwares in their academic missions.”
Virjee said that this is another step in CSUF’s mission toward equitable learning by working to eliminate the digital divide.
“What I love today about this is the creativity about this solution. As our campus identifies an issue, then actively creates an inclusive and equitable solution that helps students that need it most,” Virjee said.
Gabby Guzman Burns, the CEDA director, spoke on the impact of equitable digital access on learning.
“The integration of technology into the educational system has brought about changes in the style of teaching and learning. Access to technology is critical to student success in and outside of the classroom,” Guzman Burns said.
Ethan Sepulveda, an English major, talked about how critical CEDA could be for students, especially for those who do not have an expendable income.
“A lot of students rely on the internet. If students can’t get access to a device or the internet, it kind of leaves them out in the dust,” Sepulveda said.
Dabirian said equitable digital access is ensuring that all students can obtain internet connection and materials regardless of socioeconomic status or background. This need has especially increased during the pandemic with online classes.
“The pandemic confirmed and brought to light the fact that many of our students struggle with access to computers, internet connectivity and software,” said Rommel Hidalgo, the associate vice president of IT. “Our students, who are impacted by the digital divide, no longer have to struggle to get their hands on hardware, software and internet access which are so crucial to participation and contribution in many of their classes.”
Ashwin Naresh, a third-year computer science major at CSUF, said he rented devices from CEDA not only for his schoolwork, but also for his on-campus job at the Student Genius Center.
“I’ve never really faced any problems where I can complain about not having the right resources, whether its for my school life or my student assistant position,” Naresh said. “Everyone deserves the right to education and everyone deserves the right to the same resources.”
CEDA offers resources and services through the CSUCCESS initiative and the TitanWare programs respectively. CSUCCESS provides resources such as rentals for iPad Air, Apple Pencil and Apple Smart Keyboard Folio. TitanWare provides services such as Microsoft Surface Laptop Go rentals as well as access to different online services.
Other resources through CEDA include Wi-Fi setup, recommended training, data visualization center, digital print services, interdisciplinary college collaboration space, innovation and makerspace center and esports access.
Virjee said that this solution represents hope for the future and this aligns with his personal mission for students to thrive and to impact the community.
“This is at the heart of Cal State Fullerton. This is at the heart of what we do; eliminating barriers for students so that they can achieve their dreams in college,” Virjee said.
Students interested in accessing equipment or services from CEDA can visit the center from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday on the second floor of the Pollak Library North.