During New Student Orientation and Enrollment, iTAC provides an introduction to computing resources at K-State. The presentation includes a short video developed by the Educational Communciations Center followed by a Question and Answer session. Some of the questions that attendees have posed about computing at K-State are:
1) How does my student access the Internet in the residence halls.
Students access the Internet by first completing the Network Access registration process, which will be available in mid-July. Once the process is complete, students are able to sign in and use wired and wireless connectivity in the residence halls.
2) Should we purchase a printer? Is printing available on campus?
It’s your choice. Limited free printing is available each semester to students in the computing labs and InfoCommons ($10 each fall/spring semester, and $5 summer).
3) Is Windows 7 supported on campus?
Windows 7 is still in beta and will not be supported on campus until late in the fall semester.
4) What security do you recommend to protect computers from theft?
- Use a locking cable on laptops that are unattended.
- Don’t let your computer out of your sight in public places.
- Consider installing a tracking hardware or software such as CompuTrace.
- Follow basic security measures, including locking doors where your computer is stored.
- Add a password on the administrator account for your computer.
- Know the MAC address of your computer, which provides one more identifier in addition to the serial number.
5) Are Netbooks OK to buy instead of a PC? My student is undecided on a major and we don’t want to spend $1,000 on a computer that they don’t need yet.
It’s important to visit with your student’s advisor before making any purchase. Visit the 2009 Computer Recommendations website to learn more about the recommended computer specifications. Netbooks are more of a secondary computer used for e-mail and browsing. The size of the screen and keyboard and processing power are not conducive to long term use for writing term papers, viewing lectures online, etc.
6) How do you notify students in an emergency? How can parents get notified about a K-State emergency?
Emergency text messages and automated phone calls are sent for life-threatening emergencies, including severe weather and are only one of many ways that K-Staters are notified in emergency situations. Emergency notices also are posted on the university’s homepage. K-State’s emergency guide at www.k-state.edu/emergency/guide lists phone numbers for emergency departments and services. To learn more about K-State Alerts visit http://www.k-state.edu/infotech/helpdesk/k-statealerts.html
Students can sign up for text/phone alerts via their eProfile (eID.ksu.edu). The limit is three phone numbers per student. Students may choose to add their parent’s phone number as one of the three to receive alerts.
