After researching the problem with the UA Capstone Agency and talking to students, Alabama Power is donating three charging stations to North Lawn Hall, the Student Recreation Center and the Student Health Center as a solution to the lack of outlets around campus.
With an increasing number of students at the University and a growing number of these students using laptops and other technology in classes, many students are frustrated with the struggle to find a place to charge devices when their power runs low.
“It’s really annoying when you’re unable to find an outlet in a convenient location or they’re all in use so you have to move or leave to try and find another one to use,” said Anna Richardson, a freshman majoring in business. “The lack of outlets is especially frustrating for me if my laptop is going dead right before a class because I use it to take notes during class.”
The charging stations, equipped with several outlets to charge multiple devices at once, were developed with students in mind due to the lack of outlets throughout the UA campus.
The donation is a result of a five-year partnership between Alabama Power and the Capstone Agency, a student-run communications firm.
Kaitlin Cochran, a media relations strategist for the Capstone Agency, said the partnership with Alabama Power came about as a part of Alabama Power’s desire to better serve communities throughout Alabama.
“We’re always actively seeking clients and Alabama Power heard about this,” Cochran said. “Alabama Power wanted to showcase their philanthropic efforts on campus through us.”
The Capstone Agency found one of the leading issues facing students was the lack of accessible wall outlets on campus.
Nick Schwartz, a freshman majoring in economics, said he thinks the stations need to spread across campus for when students only have a little bit of time between classes.
“I think the charging stations are a really great start to solving the problem, but overall I think it would be really great if there were more outlets in more buildings throughout campus, just so you wouldn’t have to rely on the stations at the library or have to use a library computer if your own computer goes dead,” Schwartz said.
