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Policies

Acceptable Use Policies

Use of Gonzaga University law school computing equipment is governed by the University's Network and Computer Resource Acceptable Use Policy, along with the School of Law's Acceptable Use Policy, contained in the Student Handbook ("Polices"). You must sign these Policies before an account will be made available for you.

Student Network and E-Mail Accounts

Computing Services staff provide network and e-mail accounts for all law students. Having an account gives you the ability to store documents on the fileserver and send and receive e-mail messages. As part of your account, you are provided with 60 megabytes of space on the e-mail server. You are also provided with an additional 50 megabytes of space on the fileserver to store documents. While this is a fair amount of space, it is not unlimited. Therefore, it is important for you to routinely clean out old documents and email messages.

If you exceed your e-mail limits, you will not be able to receive or send e-mail messages. The e-mail system is configured to alert you when you are reaching your allotted limit. The system will send you an e-mail alert at 55 MB warning you that you are close to your limit. At that time, you should delete some of the material saved in your email account. If your account reaches 60 MB, the system will send you another message indicating that you can no longer send messages. Once you reach 65 MB, you will no longer be able to send or receive messages.

Passwords

A pre-created account password is given to each new student. This password allows you access to your law school account for the first time. However, for security reasons, we require that you immediately change your pre-assigned password the first time you sign onto the network. We strongly suggest that you change your password frequently (at least every three to six months) or whenever you have reason to believe your password has been compromised (meaning someone else might know your password).

When creating a new password, keep in mind that the most secure passwords consist of a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Replacing letters with numbers, for example replacing o with 0 or i with 1 is a good method for creating more secure passwords. Also, consider creating password phrases instead of just single passwords. For more tips on ensuring account security, please contact Dalean Neiner (313-3795).

Accessing Your E-Mail Account

You may access your e-mail account on campus from the computer labs or via the law school's courtesy ports or wireless system. You can also access your account from off campus via the law school's webpage. Click on the "Email Login" link on the upper-right side of the webpage.

Although it is possible to forward your law school e-mail to another account, we strongly recommend against this practice. Forwarding messages can cause all sorts of problems, especially if the account to which you forward your e-mail becomes overloaded or unavailable for any reason.

Since your law school e-mail account is used for official communication—and because you are responsible for reading messages sent to your law school account—forwarding your e-mail puts you at risk of missing important messages. Further, because an unavailable account to which your mail is forwarded may create network problems for us, such as endless e-mail loops, we may have to access your e-mail box to correct problems, delete forwarding rules, and disable your account.

If you have any problems with your network or e-mail accounts, please contact Dalean Neiner (313-3795) or John Weingarten (313-3775).

Computer Labs

The library has two computer labs, one each on the first floor and second floor. The labs are available only to law school students and recent graduates. Software currently available includes the following: Microsoft Office 2007, including Word and Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, Access, and Internet Explorer.

There is also a flatbed color scanner in the second floor Computer Lab and an IBM Selectric typewriter in the first floor Computer Lab.

Using Personal Laptops at the Law School

If you have up-to-date virus protection and if all Windows critical updates and services packs are installed on your laptop, you may access the law school network by plugging your laptop into one of the courtesy ports located throughout the Library or by using our wireless network. In order to use these systems you must have the following:

  • To use the courtesy ports you must have a network interface card or port and a Cat 5 cable five feet or longer.

  • To connect to the wireless network you need internal or external 802.11B or 802.11G connectivity.

In addition, you must use either Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7. Macintosh laptops may be used with the network, but are supported only for network connectivity and printing.

Using Macs at the Law School

Although Macintosh computers will work with our network, they are supported only for network connectivity and printing. Further, you will only be able to use them for electronic exams using Boot Camp and Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7. Finally, converting documents between Mac and PC versions can create myriad problems. We strongly suggest creating all your documents that might need to be shared using the Windows version of Microsoft Office.

Laptop Configuration Training

At the beginning of the fall and summer semesters the Computing Services staff offers training sessions to entering students who want to use their laptop computers to connect to the law school network. This training covers the basics of registering your laptop, connecting to the network, configuring Outlook, and installing library printers.

Borrowing a Laptop

In order to ensure the most equitable distribution of our limited supply of circulating laptop computers, all laptop check outs are handled exclusively though Dalean Neiner's office (159). Please note the following policies:

  • Laptops are available on a first come--first served basis, primarily for times when student owned laptops are out for repair or otherwise temporarily unavailable.
  • Dalean is available 8am - 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Laptops may not be checked out or returned during evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Additionally, in order to use a school laptop for exams, the following requirements must be satisfied:

  • You must already own a personal laptop that meets the Examsoft requirements.
  • You must bring that laptop to Dalean for initial troubleshooting before sending it to be repaired.

Important: If you request a laptop for exams without this initial troubleshooting step, we will not be able to lend you a laptop.

If you have any questions, please contact Dalean Neiner (313-3795) or John Weingarten (313-3775).

Mandatory Virus Protection and Windows Patches

To address the prevalence and potential destructiveness of computer viruses, Computing Services requires that all computers accessing the law school network have up-to-date virus protection and that all Windows critical updates and services packs be installed. "Up-to-date" means that your virus definitions and Windows updates and patches cannot be older than one week.

Sanctions for Failing to Comply with Virus Protection and Windows Patches Policy

The requirement that students who access the law school network have virus and patching protection in place is mandatory and enforced with sanctions for violations of the policy. This is because a virus originating on your laptop may damage files on the law school network, disrupt network services, or harm other computers connected to the network. Should it come to the attention of the Computing Services staff that a student laptop computer is accessing the law school network without being properly protected, we will impose the following sanctions:

  • First offense: $25 fine and disconnection of the student's laptop from the law school network until the student can demonstrate to the Computing Services staff that up-to-date virus protection and patches have been installed and the computer is virus-free

  • Second offense: $50 fine and disconnection of the student's laptop from the law school network until the student can demonstrate to the Computing Services staff that up-to-date virus protection and patches have been installed and the computer is virus-free. The user will be required to report to the Computing Services staff once per week for 60 days for virus protection and patch verification

  • Third offense: $100 fine and discontinuation of the student's laptop from the law school network for 60 days. In addition, the offense will be reported as an honor code violation which may result in permanent revocation of network privileges.

If anyone uses a borrowed network card to access the law school network with an infected laptop or a laptop that does not have all critical updates and patches and incurs a fine, that fine will be assessed against the owner of the network card as well as the student who owns the laptop. In addition, both students will need to show that their laptops' protection is currently up-to-date before re-accessing the law school network.

During the time that students are disconnected from law school network for violation of the Virus Protection Policy, they may continue to use computers in the Computer Labs.

A Word of Caution: Many laptops include internal wireless connectivity that can be activated even without the user being signed onto a network. If your computer has a wireless card or wireless connectivity, you could be connected to the law school network even if you have not signed on. In fact, even if your computer is not configured to communicate with the law school's network, there is the potential that your infected computer could flood the network with a virus just by being turned on while you are in the building. Because of this possibility you need to be certain that your computer is virus free anytime you bring it into the building. If your laptop interferes with the operation of the law school network even if you are not signed on, you will still be subject to the sanctions listed above.

Authorized Virus Protection Software: Acceptable virus protection vendors are Norton/Symantec, Trend Micro/PC-cillin, and MacAfee, or freeware versions of AVG, Anvira, and Avast. Although some shareware and freeware virus protection products are available, we are not able to evaluate all of them and, therefore, cannot endorse or support them. If you choose to use a shareware or freeware antivirus product, we reserve the right to require you to purchase one of the three approved products or restrict your access to the Gonzaga network if we find your computer is not properly protected.

Personal firewalls are not required at this time, but we do strongly recommend their use. Windows XP includes a rudimentary firewall that offers some protection. Vista's and Window 7's built-in firewalls offer all the protection most folks need. Please contact Dalean Neiner (313-3795) for more information on firewall protection.

For the convenience of students, the library has copies of anti-virus software for sale. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please contact Dalean Neiner (313-3795).

Student Laptop Support

Computing Services provides limited on-site laptop computer support services to students at Gonzaga University School of Law. These support services include assistance with the following:

  • Installation, configuration, registration, and troubleshooting of a wired or wireless device to access the law school network.

  • Installation and troubleshooting of ExamSoft's SofTest software.

  • Installation of printers and help in printing to the Library's printers.

  • Virus prevention, protection, and removal according to anti-virus vendors' support knowledge bases.

  • Troubleshooting problems with the Windows operating system by consulting with Microsoft's knowledge base articles if necessary.

More complex issues that require the reinstallation of an operating system, application, or reformatting of a hard drive may be done at the discretion of the Computing Services staff. The user must provide the original OS and application software media and installation keys. Reinstallations will be done according to the laptop or software manufacturer's instructions.

Support does NOT:

  • Extend to computers running system and application software in a foreign language

  • Extend to troubleshooting of operating system or application issues on laptops running a Macintosh operating system

  • Include hardware replacement

    • If a problem appears to be hardware related, the Computing Services staff may do brief troubleshooting to try to isolate the problem. Troubleshooting may include the reseating of memory, hard drive, and the restoration of the CMOS to its load fail-safe/optimized default options. We will not open a laptop to internally remove, replace, or inspect the motherboard, peripherals, and cables that require taking a laptop completely apart. If these limited measures do not resolve the problems, students are advised to seek assistance from their laptop's vendor.

The only supported operating systems are Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. The only supported application is Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007.

Students are responsible for their own data and are strongly encouraged to back up their files frequently. Students are required to have their data backed up before the Computing Services staff will work on the student's laptop. The Law School is not responsible for lost data.

Assistance is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays thru Thursdays, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays at the Law Student Help Desk, located between the first floor Computer Lab and Dalean Neiner's office, which is located next door to the Help Desk

Every effort will be made to resolve user issues expediently; however, we reserve the right to triage requests for service and determine our workflow. We also reserve the right to restrict assistance for students with recurring user-generated problems.

For hands-on troubleshooting, we require students to sign a liability waiver in advance.

Technology Changes and Laptop Requirements

Although the currently supported operating systems for student laptops are Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7, these standards and other minimum specifications may change in the future. As technology changes from year to year, be aware that you may have to upgrade some or all of your hardware and/or software to be compatible with the law school network.

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