Date of last update:
April 12, 2004

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Answers to Union students' most common technology questions

2. What does Union require, provide, or suggest?

2a. What we require:

Beyond a general expectation to use technology in acceptable ways and to check official Union e-mail as detailed in
http://www.uu.edu/computing/ans-every.htm, Union has no university-wide or department-wide requirements to purchase a computer. We do believe, however, that due to the expectations and requirements professors will have for you to use technology to complete assignments, it will be very useful to have reliable access to a computer with Internet service.

2b. What we provide:

Union provides three large labs on the Jackson campus and three labs on the Germantown campus that are available and staffed many hours of the day. Lab use is provided at no additional cost, but is limited to current students and employees. A complete list of hours (including daily reservations for classes) and equipment in these labs can be found posted in the labs or at www.uu.edu/computing/labhw.htm. Other labs for use by various departments are located in Penick, Blasingame, and Jennings Academic Complexes. Policies and hours for those labs vary. A list of software in various labs can be found at www.uu.edu/computing/labsw.htm.

On-campus network accounts provide each student storage space in which to save files privately and securely, space in which to share files with other students, space in which to share files with faculty, and space in which to post web pages. You can learn more about these resources by asking the students at the helpdesk in the Jackson-campus Penick computer labs or Tabitha Washburn on the Germantown campus. As discussed earlier, each student is also provided an e-mail account.

Use of laser printers in the computer labs is free. Color printing is charged on a per-page basis. Additional copies of documents, whether black & white or color, should be requested in Union’s College Services or should be made on library copiers provided for student use.

Our Internet service is filtered through our firewall to reduce as much as possible (a) the opportunity for students to be tempted to visit inappropriate sites, and (b) unauthorized access to our network (hacking). 2c.

2c.  What we suggest:

If you wish to purchase an entire computer system, some basic specifications are given below. This is representative of the equipment we are now leasing for the university and is not meant to be an absolute list of options. You can get more or less, depending on needs and pricing. The companies below have special purchasing arrangements with Union, with higher-ed groups of which Union is a member, or with educational institutions and their students in general. Many other companies offer educational discounts as well.

Suggested Software

This is a very basic list of software you will need to use while at Union. The class assignments in your major may require you to use other programs such as Photoshop, Mathematica, etc. It is your responsibility to purchase this software if you feel you need it.

If you contact a company to purchase a copy of these programs, be sure to ask for academic discounts. Three good software sources are www.gotrc.com, www.ccvsoftware.com and www.edu.com .

Suggested Hardware

Howard Computers (www.howardcomputers.com/ticu or 1-866-382-8915 - a Union-only number) is the source for the desktop PCs we are getting for the university. We've found Howard to have high-quality components, great pricing, and great service. See their Union flyer online at www.uu.edu/computing/howard-uu-flyer.jpg or at the end of the printed booklet.

Dell ( www.dell.com/us/en/fss/default.htm or 1-888-973-3355) is a good source for laptop PCs.

Apple ( http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/routingpage.html or 1-800-780-5009) is our source for all Mac equipment. Union is about 80% PC and 20% Mac. Macs are used mainly in Art, Music, Languages, and Digital Media Studies, but are also used some in other departments.

Be sure to see http://www.uu.edu/resnet/ for information about network cables/jumpers if you plan to plug any computer into the campus network provided in the residence complexes.

Desktop PC - suggested specifications

Laptop PC - suggested specifications

Desktop Mac - iMac - suggested specifications

Laptop Mac - PowerBook G4 - suggested specifications

Comments and suggestions concerning this site should be forwarded to:

jdbarham@uu.edu