The University of Houston-Clear Lake is sitting on a grave yard-a computer graveyard that is.

The university basement is filled with hundreds, maybe thousands, of surplus and salvage computers that are just gathering dust. These computers sit forgotten, piled up on top of each other.

While this certainly seems wasteful, it's all in compliance with the guidelines set by the state of Texas. When a state agency, like a university, gets new equipment, the old is sent to holding.

In the case of UH-Clear Lake, this holding area is the basement. The university can hold this equipment for 30 days, then it gets transferred to the Texas Department of Corrections.

After this transfer, the equipment is added to a list of surplus property maintained by the Texas Building and Procurement Commission. This equipment is then put up for auction, where it is bid on by state agencies, political subdivisions and assistance organizations.

Even though this plan is supposedly in place, there are still computers in the basement.

Apparently it is because of a labor problem. With so many old computers, there isn't enough time or university personnel to ship the excess equipment. This leaves computers sitting in the basement longer than 30 days-a lot longer.

While this explains why our basement is so crowded, it does not explain why these useable computers are not being used.

An obvious solution is being overlooked. These computers could be sold or even given to students and university employees, but this isn't allowed.

The state of Texas mandates that only state, political and assistance agencies can claim this equipment. When these agencies do not claim the computers, which is usually the case, they simply sit in storage.

This statute makes it impossible for UH-Clear Lake to offer these computers to students and employees, even at reduced prices. Instead, they pile up in the basement.

Something is very wrong with this system.

It's hard to believe that UH-Clear Lake can assist students with tuition, employment and even furniture, but is prohibited by state mandate to give them old computers that no one is using.

It's disgraceful to let perfectly good computers ruin in a dusty basement when there are so many deserving students who could get some real use out of them.

This statute is unfair to students and is creating a real problem for the university.

Eventually the basement will run out of room. Then where will the computers pile up?

The state of Texas needs to reevaluate this policy and allow universities to offer these computers to students, employees or anyone else who could use them.

With all of the money that universities spend on technology, the state should want them to get as much use out of this equipment as possible.

Don't let this pile up go unnoticed. Voice your concerns about this problem to the Texas Building and Procurement Commission at (512) 463-6363 or public.info@tbpc.state.tx.us.

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