1. Preamble
The computing labs are a resource for all Bren MESM students. This policy assumes that Bren Students are responsible adults and therefore is based upon common sense. The policy is designed to ensure that the Lab remains a comfortable and productive workplace for all students. Two basic principles are the foundation of the policy:
Respect the work environment of other students.
Protect the computer equipment and resources provided.
The Lab is intended to be a comfortable environment for students to work both individually and collectively. Because of increasing congestion in the lab, the following reminders are to ensure beneficial/productive use of the lab for all students:
2. Noise:
- Please don't let your noise level disturb others working in the Lab. Leave the room to answer cell phone calls. If someone’s conversation/music is bothering you, please let them know. Recipients should honor these requests. Headphones or earplugs can also help reduce the ambient noise.
- If you want to schedule a meeting that doesn't require computer access, please consider using the Commons, Interaction Room, or schedule a conference room. Small groups needing a computer can meet by closing the curtain and using the small (north) end of the SCF.
- By-and-large the compute team expects students to self-regulate. It's a student space, so we think it is best if MESM students determine the best
way to govern it. - Over the years, students have found that it works best to designate the GIS lab as the especially quiet lab. We recommend that students adhere to this unwritten, student-initiated policy for regulating noise.
3. Maintenance:
- Please use common sense when bringing food and drinks to the Lab. Be careful with drinks—they can ruin computer equipment.
- Check your work area before you leave…Pick up your trash! Please don’t leave any empty containers/wrappers on the counters and do not expect others to pick up after you.
- The University does not provide janitorial service for the computer labs. The labs are thoroughly cleaned at the beginning of every academic. However, students are expected to play an active role in keeping the lab clean throughout the year so that the Compute Team's time is spent helping with computing issues not cleaning issues.
- Do not store books and papers in the Computer Lab. There are several large bookshelves in the Library which are intended for students’ use or use your locker and/or group project storage area.
- Bikes are not allowed in the building or the labs.
4. Computer Lab Use:
- The computer labs are for support of the Bren educational programs only. This means that personal and faculty research should be done elsewhere. All data on Bren computers and server should be related to educational program activies. This means that Bren Computer and server should not be a storage area for you personal data items such as music and photos.
- The Lab is also a classroom. If a class is using the lab, students in the class should have first priority of computer use. Offer to give up your computer if you notice that students in a class do not have access to a computer.
- Remember to log off of your computer if you are leaving the lab—even for a short while! There are simply not enough computers for each student to be logged onto a computer all day. This will provide better access to the Lab for all students, and will protect students’ files from being changed or lost if another student needs to log on to the computer.
- Only log on to one computer. If you need to use more than one computer, please contact the compute team for options. If you are logged on to more than one computer the compute staff may log you off all systems.
- Ask a compute staff member to unlock locked computers. If you can not find a computer because all available computers are locked please ask a compute staff member to unlock a computer for you.
- The computers in the Commons are for Group Project use. Priority is given to the Group that has been assigned to the particular computer. You must immediately relinquish the computer to a member of the Group Project upon request. The reasoning behind this is that some group projects need special programs that can only be loaded onto one computer, or have data or file sharing through their computer.
5. Computer Lab Assessment:
- In the Spring of each year, students are asked to complete an end of year survey regarding and some of the question related to effectiveness of the Bren computing environment.
PLEASE USE COMMON SENSE AND COMMON COURTESY!