At the MSU Computer Store, students and faculty can purchase brand-name computing products at a discount - better than the prices available in retail stores.
But with many products, students in Ann Arbor get a better deal.
Some software companies offer “educational pricing” to universities and research institutions. University of Michigan students can purchase a full copy of Microsoft’s Windows XP professional operating system for $45, while MSU’s Computer Store sells the upgrade to XP for $86.
“We have what’s called a Custom Enterprise Agreement for the entire university with Microsoft,” said Eileen Eicotte, merchandising manager for Mstores at U-M. “When you think about how much money we were spending on Microsoft products, we were just looking at numbers.”
Negotiated by U-M’s Information Technology department three years ago, officials at U-M pay an undisclosed amount of money under this agreement to pay for software licenses - the legal rights to use the software. The rest of the costs are then passed on to the students, who pay for the actual program.
The difference is that U-M students only receive a CD-ROM with the program on it. This special license does not come with shrink-wrapped packaging or manuals, although technological support is available online.
U-M has other similar agreements with companies such as Oracle, Symantec and Mathcad, providing software at bargain prices for students.
“I think it’s a good idea,” said David Poe, an MSU computer science senior. “I can live without the box or documentation.”
But the MSU store runs solely on the educational pricing, leaving the Custom Enterprise Agreements for other universities to pursue.
“It’s much too expensive,” said Lewis Greenberg, director of the Computer Center. “If there was a budget cut, then everyone would lose their licenses.”
Greenberg said the educational prices offered through MSU are still better than what is available in retail stores.
“We also don’t want to give an exclusive license to Microsoft,” he said. “We believe it’d be the wrong thing to do. There are many other products out there that do just as good a job.”
But sometimes, manufacturers and distributors offer better prices to other institutions indiscriminately, and store managers need to keep a sharp eye out for these discrepancies.
Ron Rivard, manager of the MSU Computer Store, keeps it on his list of duties.
“Normally I check after the first of the year and around June when students look into buying computers,” he said. “It’s kind of sporadic.”
Rivard is expecting a price drop in the Dell brand computer systems the MSU Computer Store carries after finding better prices on more powerful systems at U-M.
“I don’t expect it to be a problem,” Rivard said. “Because we’re the same size in volume and orders so our representative doesn’t give us grief when we ask for stuff.”
