Erin's Screenplay

Professor Larson

A Political Science professor at SCU, Professor Larson is fairly young and has an energetic teaching style. He specializes in ethics and technology, as well as youth social activism.

Ms Shunk

Ms. Shunk is an all business woman, head of the Administrative Board at SCU. She is straight-laced in believes in strict principles of formal education.
Stella

Stella is a spunky Sophomore from San Jose that is majoring in Graphic Arts with a minor in Ethics. She is dedicated to her schoolwork and her best friend/boyfriendish is James.

James

James is Stella’s best guy friend and his family immigrated to the US when he was a baby so his Mom could work in the up and coming dot-com industry. Taking after his mother he is very much into computers, having hand-built his own PC

INT. CLASSROOM AT SCU-DAY

PROFESSOR LARSON is standing lecturing to a class when MS SHUNK walks in with a stern face with an IT PERSON following closely behind. She is dressed in professional/corporate attire, which sharply contrasts the casual wear of the students. A large box on a dolly transporter is pushed in and the PROFESSOR LARSON ceases talking.
PROFESSOR LARSON

Ms Yadeem is here from the Administrative Board to make an important announcement
PROFESSOR LARSON goes to sit down among the students with a worried look on his face.
MS YADEEM

(reading from a printed piece of paper in a stern manner)

Due to the demands of many ‘equal-access’ groups, the Administrative Board has decided to distribute SCU-issue laptops in order to promote a more equal and technologically advanced learning environment.
(IT person starts distributing laptops to the students from the large box, saying nothing)

MS YADEEM

These laptops are to be returned upon your graduation and the cost is covered by your yearly tuition. Your textbooks will now be delivered electronically to your respective hard drives based on which classes you are enrolled in. This allows for the most recent editions of textbooks to be used in our prestigious learning environment. Your new ‘eLapBook’ learning environment will begin next Monday. If you have any further questions please visit www.scu.ed/eLapbook. Thank you.

(Without taking any questions she walks out of the room with the IT person following closely behind, as if in a subordinate position. The door shuts and following the silence is immediate chatter among the students. Not even bothering to whisper aimless pondering chatter fills the room, highlighting the abruptness of the announcement itself)

PROFESSOR LARSON rises from his seat and in a sighing, almost reluctant tone says

PROFESSOR LARSON

We’ll finish our discussion on 1984 next class. You are dismissed. See you next Monday.

EXT. SCU CAMPUS-DAY

STELLA and her friend JAMES walk together to their residence hall, pondering the sudden announcement and Professor Larson’s response to the announcement
STELLA

I wonder what this is all about? I think its nice of the University to consider those who are less fortunate by issuing standard laptops

JAMES

(frowning)

Yeah, I agree but something is definitely up. Did you see Professor Larson’s face? I just hope that this doesn’t turn out to be like the San Francisco Surveillance Front. That was not cool. I will definitely need to look more into this.

STELLA

I just hope that they will let me still use my Macbook. PC’s are horrendous.
(she looks over at JAMES and smirks knowing that he has his own beloved PC)
Fade out and transition to JAMES at his personally built PC surfing the web.
INT.-JAMES’ DORM ROOM-EVENING

James is sitting at his desk in front of his personally built PC surfing the web for more information on the so-called ‘eLapBook’

JAMES

(mumbling)

eLapBook..eLapBook…
Focusing in on his computer screen we as the audience see him searching and find an open window on the eLapBook China website touting the wonders of the eLapBook and its features.

(advertisement reading in Chinese)

The Latest Advancement in Classroom Technology

eLapBooks
-utilizes eBooks, keeping students updated with the latest materials Administrators pre-select.

-eBook Material is screened for only material you wish to teach

-calculates grades based on keystroke activity

-monitors students browsing activities

-tracks teaching quality based on student performance, and sends daily reports to Administrators
JAMES

(scrolls down, comes to a page entitled “Statistics”)

STATISTICS

-student output ratio increases by 40%

-professor selection cuts increases by 70%

-unworthy teaching material cut by 100%

-student grades increase by 40%**

**after expellings based on performance and keystroke analysis

JAMES scribbles something down and is seen leaving his room
INT.-STELLA’S DORM ROOM-NIGHT

STELLA is listening to music and doing homework when her cell phone rings. She sees that it is JAMES calling and turns down the music and answers her phone.

STELLA

(she answers in a slightly perky voice, glad to get a break from her intensive homework)
Whatsup?
JAMES

(he answers her impatiently)
Stella! I did some research on the eLapBooks and I called some people and it turns out that they have been implemented in classrooms at Universities across China to track and punish students. It was marketed differently in the United States as more of a progressive tool of equality but it is really tracking our every keystroke! I talked to my cousin in Honk Kong and he told me that some students figured it out over there but never were able to overturn the Administration’s decision to use them.
STELLA

(with a concerned look and tone)

I bet you Professor Larson knew about this. We should go see him. Let’s talk to him tomorrow at office hours and see if we can’t get to the bottom of this.
(the scene fades out and cuts to Stella and James in Professor Larson’s office the next day.)

INT.-PROFESSOR LARSON’S OFFICE

Professor Larson is sitting grading papers in his office when Stella and James knock at his door.

PROFESSOR LARSON

(in a tired voice)

Come in.
(Stella and James walk in together and take seats in front of his desk. Professor Larson’s expression changes to a more warm smile when he sees Stella and James, two of his more respectful students.

JAMES

(in an agitated tone)

Professor, I did some research last night on the eLapBooks and I found out some disturbing information..

STELLA

(interrupts James)

Well, you see we noticed a change in your demeanor the other day when Ms. Shunk delivered the eLapBooks and we thought you would be the best person to come to.
JAMES

(leans over an shows Professor Larson hard copies of the research he has done, in Chinese writing with his annotated translations)

It turns out that our eLapBooks are just a repackaged version of the university issued laptops in the private colleges. The government feared rebellion from the academic world first and decided the best way to control or monitor their activity was through their main sources of communication, our newly issued eLapBooks.

(pause, Professor Larson leans back in his chair, sighs and says)

PROFESSOR LARSON

Well, I knew that this was serious but I didn’t know that it was this serious. When this is exposed it will make headlines.

EXT.-SCU CAMPUS MAIN ENTRANCE

Multiple news reporters are standing in front of the main entrance filming for the next nights National spot.

FEMALE NEWS REPORTER

At the heart of the recent controversy with SCU’s administration issuing eLapBooks are two students, wished only to be called James and Stella.
(cut to an interview scene)

REPORTER

So what alerted you first to the nature of the eLapBooks?

JAMES

Well, it just seemed suspicious, and it sounded way to dictator-like to me, so I decided to do some research and figure out if there was anything like this before.
REPORTER

And what prompted you to expose this?

STELLA

Well, we knew that this was a violation of just a basic right to privacy and we knew other people would feel the same way. We brought the information to the administration and they shut us down, not even wanting to speak with us about their decision, so we took it to the media and the response was overwhelming.

REPORTER

And what was the administrations response?

(fade out into Professor Larson’s classroom during the day)

(Professor Larson lecturing and James working away at his computer)

Intercom

James Clark, please report to Ms. Shunk’s office immediately.

(James rises and slowly walks out of the classroom)

(fade out)

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