Technology

Ah right right. Please do tell me, what university do you work for? In what field again?

• Do you have experience in supporting researchers working under strict grant provisions that entail (at times) specific requirements in terms of data-format, reproducibility, output, methods, software used, etc.?
• Do you have experience supporting environments where exams are given, and thus require highly locked down, monitored, reproducible, environments in the terms of hundreds if not thousands workplaces at, potentially, the drop of a hat? Even if exams are generally planned well in advance, there can be last minute alterations due to weather, incidents, etc.
• Do you perhaps have experience supporting a piece of software that was used for research several decades ago, that interfaces with a piece of equipment that's now old enough to vote and drink?
• Have you ever had the conversation with a researcher where you had to tell them that due to privacy, technical or legal requirements you have to upgrade the software and thus pretty much set them back if not ruin their entire research?
• Have you ever had to support thousands of students doing their research/study/course that requires HPC capabilities on a shoestring budget?
• Have you ever had to have a conversation with an ISV and get them to provide intricate detail on all of their libraries/dependencies used because of legal/technical/moral requirements?

So let me ask you again, is it really that easy to just "require all documents to be either odf or pdf?" in such an environment to achieve ehm... what was it again you wanted to achieve? Achieving some moral high-ground so that universities don't use Microsoft's format that is so entrenched in all of society, at all levels, companies and organizations and thus by not supporting/using it all of the students are put at risk of not being prepared for their future careers? Which is kind of the points people get an university degree.

But sure, I'll see if I can get it added to the agenda in the next all-hands IT meeting.

EDIT: I'm sure of this comes across as rude or snide; it's just that your reply seems to imply that we (IT staff, as well as the universities as a whole) haven't already tried something like that before? Like HexesofVexes correctly points out - universities are in a near perpetual crisis for their very continued existence. Imagine having to cut millions from your budget that is already millions underfunded - and then decide to take a risk as something like this? How many jobs, livelihoods, careers, and so much more would they be putting at risk?

No, it's not that easy. It's an incredible risk - and universities can and will take it but they will need support. Financial as well as societal both of which right now are virtually non-existing. So they won't as we are in pure survival mode, and have been for years.