We are excited to share that, beginning with the 2021 Fall semester (Semester 47), HMI will issue all students Chromebook laptops for their time at HMI. Students will no longer be allowed to bring their own laptop from home.
There are several reasons for this change. At HMI we strive to live up to our motto simple in means, rich in ends. We want students to disconnect from social media and the pull of nonstop notifications while also providing them with the tools they need to complete academic work and communicate with friends and family back home. As you likely know, students already turn in their cell phones and other internet-connected devices while at HMI, but have historically brought their own laptops from home. As computers have evolved, laptops have come to replicate many of the features of cell phones, undermining the balance we seek in our approach to technology. Issuing Chromebooks to students will allow us to restore some of this balance, create a more uniform student experience, push students to engage fully with the HMI community, reduce inequities and inconsistencies in technology access, and eliminate wear and tear on students’ personal devices.
For enrolled students and families: if you believe you have technology needs during your semester that we cannot meet with a Chromebook, please reach out to us. We have several desktop computers available for student use and can install software on those computers to meet any additional student needs (such as software for accessing independent study classes).
To summarize our new technology policy: students will not be allowed to use any internet-connected devices during their HMI semester except for their HMI-issued Chromebook. Students can bring cell phones for traveling to and from HMI that we will safely store for them during the semester. They will have access to landline telephones and video chat platforms on their Chromebooks to communicate with friends and family, and they can bring e-readers and music players to HMI as long as they do not have internet browsing capability. All other technological devices will be prohibited, and HMI will either store them for the semester or ship them home. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns about this new policy.