Offices & Services

ITS: Hardware/Software Questions

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• Supported Products

  ITS maintains lists of "Colgate Hardware" and "Colgate Software" at the ITS web site. This list includes the types and brands of hardware and software that are in use at the college and indicates the level of support that ITS can provide. Some products are designated as fully supported, which means that ITS installs these products and makes every effort to answer questions on how to use the product. Other products receive limited support, which means that ITS will install the software, and get it running and printing, but will not be able to answer functional questions about the product or troubleshoot issues related to product features. Products not on the list are unsupported and will not be installed or supported by ITS. Users may request additions to the list by contacting ITS. New software is reviewed by ITS and evaluated for adoption by the ITS in consultation with the Committee on Technology.

• Licensing

  The use of all software in the university is protected by copyright laws and must be used in accordance with software licenses. It is against university policy to copy or reproduce any licensed software. Unlicensed software may not be installed on any computers owned by Colgate. The unauthorized use or copying of software is a serious violation of policy and subject to disciplinary action. Such unauthorized use or copying may also subject the offending individual to law suits by third parties.

• Software on Personally Owned Equipment

  Colgate’s educational licensing agreements for software specifically limit installation to machines owned by the college. Therefore, software purchased by Colgate under these agreements may not be installed on personally owned equipment. Our current license agreement with Microsoft does allow the installation of one copy of Microsoft Office on the home machine of an employee who has Office on the work machine. Colgate also currently maintains a campus site license for virus protection software that can be installed on personal equipment that belongs to people affiliated with the college. For information on these programs, Colgate’s current licensing agreements, and exceptions, contact the ITS Helpline at extension 7111.

ITS: Faculty/Staff Equipment Questions

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• Assignment of Workstations

  Colgate provides workstations to all regular faculty members and to regular staff members whose positions require access to the network. Computer configurations will be adequate to complete the fundamental requirements of employees’ work. Colgate does not provide equipment for home use or for remote access to campus computing resources. Exceptions are made under the following circumstances:
  

  • Faculty members who require computers in research labs, acquire additional equipment through grant funding, or choose laptops as their Colgate-provided machines. Laptops are automatically equipped with wireless and network interface cards and may be used off-campus if desired.
  • Administrative and professional employees who are required to travel extensively for work, or hold jobs that require them to work regular and significant number of evening and weekend hours beyond the contract work week. Approval should be sought and obtained through supervisors and the Dean or Vice President responsible.
  • Technical staff members who are required to monitor and troubleshoot computing systems and networks on a regular and out-of-business-hours basis.

• Loaner Equipment

  Digital Media Services (DMS), located in Case-Geyer Library, maintains a small group of laptop computers available on a first-come first-served basis to loan to employees under the following circumstances:
  

  • Classroom presentations
  • Professional travel (up to two weeks)
  • Temporary replacement of broken equipment

  DMS also provides laptops, as available, for semester-long loan periods. Inquiries should be directed to the Chair of the Research Council.  Faculty members who direct study groups are provided with laptops for use while away from campus through the Office of Off-Campus Study.

• Grant-Funded Equipment

  Individuals pursuing grants for computing equipment should discuss their plans with the Associate Provost and the Chief Information Officer. Computing equipment that is acquired under grants will enter the inventory and be upgraded during the regular replacement cycle if approved at the time of the application for the grant. Faculty members teaching in various special curricular programs are, under certain conditions, awarded research funds. Some faculty members also have research funds available to them when they hold endowed chair positions. These funds may be used to buy additional computers and printers for office or home use, but the equipment will belong to the college. Such equipment should be ordered through the university purchasing process and will not normally be upgraded or replaced by the college, except through further use of research funds.

• Printers and Other Peripheral Equipment

  The college provides network printing locations for workgroup clusters in every department. Most departments are also provided with one non-networked printing location in the event the network is not functioning. Individual desktop printers are not normally provided. Exceptions are made under the following circumstances
  

  • Faculty who acquire printers with grant funding or special teaching incentives
  • Users who can not be connected to a network print cluster
  • Users who have extreme confidentiality needs

  Color printers are available in certain public computing clusters where color printing is required for curricular reasons, e.g. mapping applications. Color printers are not provided for individual offices or general printing purposes due to the high cost of maintenance and supplies for this type of equipment. Requests for color printers are approved by the Chief Information Officer where there is strong curricular justification on an exception basis.Other peripheral pieces of equipment such as scanners are also generally provided in clustered locations instead of individual offices. Since these pieces of equipment are usually used intermittently, clustering allows sharing of specialized technical resources. In addition to various distributed locations around campus, Digital Media Services (extension 7239) is a central resource for a wide range of specialized technology services.

• Responsibility for Equipment

  Each employee is responsible for taking reasonable safety precautions in regard to Colgate-owned computer equipment. Employees will be held responsible for damage to such equipment arising out of their negligence or intentional misconduct.

• Upgrades and Renewal

  Colgate attempts to renew desktop computing equipment approximately every four to five years, depending on availability of funding and the rate of changing needs of the employee.  ITS staff members consult with users prior to ordering and installing new equipment to determine the current and anticipated equipment needs.  Machines that are replaced are returned to ITS.  ITS then reassigns the machines or sells them through the campus salvage process.  Colgate will not upgrade non-Colgate machines used at home.  Users are required to purchase their own upgrades, including such items as thumb-drives and external drives, even if the purpose is to reach the campus network.  ITS does provide upgrades to equipment owned by Colgate.

• Cell Phone Policy

  You can find our cell phone policy here.

ITS: Repairs Questions

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• Colgate Equipment used Off-Campus

  ITS repairs all equipment that is owned by Colgate. Colgate-owned equipment that is used off campus must be delivered to ITS in Case-Geyer Library. Technicians will either repair Colgate-owned equipment in-house or provide repair through an off-campus service contractor.Members of the ITS staff do not make house calls to work on equipment as part of their Colgate duties.

• Personally Owned Eqipment

  ITS does not provide repair service for personally-owned computers or printers. Please see here for a list of local vendors who can provide service.  Student-owned computers must be delivered to the Bookstore during their normal hours of operation for repair service.  Payment for the repairs must be made when the equipment is picked up.  For students who prefer to take their equipment directly to an off-campus service provider, please see here for a list of local vendors.