I graduated from Lakehead University after a two-year program of Master of Science in Computer Science. Throughout my academic journey, a major discrepancy I faced was the lack of access to GPU and other computational resources, which are essential for experiential learning, exploration, and practice.

The university is about expanding our horizons and diving deep to learn new concepts while increasing our skills and knowledge base. I aspired to experiment with AI and deep learning models to bring new innovative ideas to life. This vision, unfortunately, was stunted due to the scarce resources provided by the university. I found I was not alone in this sentiment, with several professors, students and alumni also echoing this concern.

As an international student, paying at least 8500 CAD every term, it feels inherently unfair that these essential computational resources were not made available to me and my peers. Without access to these resources, the learning journey becomes challenging for every student who intends to delve into the world of AI and delve deeper into computer science.

To prevent future students from facing the same roadblocks in their pursuit of knowledge, we urge Lakehead University to ensure all students, no matter their area of study, have equal access to necessary resources like GPUs and computational facilities.

We call on all alumni, current students, faculty members, and the broader Lakehead University community to support this cause and sign this petition, as the first step to ensure equitable access to important computational resources for all students.