Lab Policy

Rules & Regulations (Applies to all 4 labs)

The University of Akron has a stated policy regarding access and acceptable use of university computer and informational resources. The policy can be read at the following URL: The University of Akron Policy

In addition to the policy set forth by the University, the CoB Computer Labs has spelled out the following guidelines and policies for use of all the lab facilities in CoB:

1. General Guidelines
   • No food or beverages are permitted in the labs.
   • Use of any tobacco product is prohibited in the labs.
   • Game playing on the computers is not permitted.
   • Chatting is to be used only for educational purposes only.
   • Unwanted printed output should be deposited into the blue recycling bin.
   • If a disk is found, please give it to the lab assistant. Conversely, check with the lab assistant if you have lost a disk. Disks are held for 6 weeks only.
   • If you can't wait for your printed output, don't send it to print. Print jobs are queued for 2 hours, if they are not printed within 2 hours they get deleted.
   • Students are not permitted to print single PowerPoint slides on a page. This practice is wasteful and creates a logjam on the printers. Ask the lab assistant about the different printing options. For PowerPoint printing instructions - see Frequently Asked Questions
   • Exercise common sense and decency regarding lab resources. Users are expected to refrain from engaging in deliberately wasteful practices. These include printing large amounts of unnecessary material and holding workstations, without need, for long periods of time while other users are waiting. The CoB lab staff reserves the right to make you surrender your workstation.
   • Make sure cell phone and pagers are on silent or vibrate mode. Do not indulge in long/ loud conversation in the labs. Step out to the concourse for long telephone conversations.
2. Equipment Use
   • Students are not permitted to attach laptop computers or any other peripheral devices to any equipment in the labs.
   • Viewing or downloading inappropriate, pornographic or obscene material in the labs is not permitted.
   • Installing software on the lab's PCs is prohibited. This includes freeware, shareware, licensed or copyrighted software and any downloaded software.
   • Lab users should never move or delete files or folders/directories from lab PCs except for those files and folders they've created. Users should always delete files and folders that belong to them.
   • Users should never use lab PCs for storage. User files are purged regularly, thus we are not responsible for lost files.
   • Modifying a system's configuration is not permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, changing backgrounds and wallpaper, modifying menu options, or changing preferences.
   • Any purposeful malicious intent or any illegal action will result in the user's dismissal from the labs and could result in University disciplinary action. Such actions include, but are not limited to:
     • turning off a PC's virus protection
     • deliberately creating and/or spreading a computer virus or worm
     • altering a system's configuration files as to cause catastrophic failure and thereby require a re-installation of the system's software
     • theft of any equipment, software, or other belongings of the CoB labs or its patrons
3. Lab Assistants
   • Respect the purpose of the lab assistants. Lab assistants are there to explain error messages, determine the cause of an error, assist in correcting the error, suggest ways to avoid certain problems, provide information on the software and hardware in the facilities, and ensure that the facility's equipment operates properly. They are not there to do your homework, debug your computer program, explain your assignments, or tutor you. If you are having difficulties with an assignment, see your instructor.
   • Be aware of the demands placed on the lab assistants. Please refrain from monopolizing a lab assistant's time. They are there to serve everyone in the lab. Remember, they are students too and they understand the pressure and stress that often accompanies using computers.