The Veteran Laptop Project will run its beta test during the summer semester to discover and fix potential problems, according to project founder John Beezley. Laptops for summer use will be rented on a first come first serve basis, or with a lottery.
“This will give the project a chance to find problems before they are problems,” Beezley said.
Veterans who use the laptops will still follow the procedure as if fees are collected, but the money will not actually be paid since the summer is a trial run.
The project will officially begin during the Fall 2018 semester.
The project has acquired 20 laptops, 18 of which are new HP Workbook 5 laptops and two of which were donated. 14 of these 20 will be available for use this summer, and the rest will be ready by fall.
The bulk of the funding for the project came from the Board of Trustees and Associated Student Government. Beezley’s project began with a $1,000 donation from him, and a $100 donation from another veteran.
After talking with John Marshall, vice president of student services, Beezley decided to appear before ASG and request funding. ASG provided him with $4,090, which would purchase six laptops. Full coverage of Beezley’s request to the student government can be found in the article “Laptops for Veterans.”
On April 20, Beezley spoke before the Board of Trustees. The board voted to give Beezley the remaining funds needed to bring the total number of laptops to 20, including those purchased with the ASG allocation and the two donated.
The board gave $9,600 to the project, the biggest portion of the funding.
Beezley and others are considering doing a fundraiser to help any veterans that have problems paying the $50 fee.
“I know the student body of CMU would be more than happy to help the Veteran’s Laptop Project,” Beezley said in regard to a fundraiser.
As of now, the project is fully funded, but Beezley said post-graduation, he hopes to turn the project into a nonprofit across the United States.
“I myself can’t think of a better way to say, ‘thank you for your services’,” Beezley said.
