Guidelines for use of the Student Technology Centers

Use of the Student Technology Centers (STCs) is for purposes related to Indiana University's mission of education, research, and public service. Students and faculty may use these computing resources, funded entirely by the student technology fee, only for purposes related to their studies, their instruction, and other university-sanctioned activities.

Guidelines governing the use of STCs include:

• Cell phones must be muted in the STCs. You are required to turn off the ringer of your cell phone upon entering an STC. In addition, do not make or answer cell phone calls while in an STC.
  
  
• STCs are academic environments; please be quiet. The STCs are for students to use while pursuing academic goals. Please respect the rights of other people working in the labs by speaking quietly and minimizing personal distractions that might impede other students from completing their work.
  
  
• Restrict food and drink in the STCs. Snack foods comparable to those from vending machines are now allowed in the STC labs. Students are not allowed to eat meals in the labs nor are they allowed to receive food deliveries to the labs, unless the food is immediately taken outside the lab to be consumed. Drinks are also allowed in the computer labs, preferably those with a secure lid. Any food and drinks brought into a lab should not prevent others from achieving their academic goals nor should the food and drink jeopardize the computer equipment.
  
  
• Headphones are required when listening to music or any audible software while working in an STC. You will need to bring your own headphones to the labs. Headphones are not available for checkout in the labs.
  
  
• Always log out before leaving the workstation. Anyone sitting down at an STC workstation at which you have not logged out will have access to your printing allotment, your identity, and your accounts, and can inflict great harm to you if so inclined. Close all applications before logging out and make sure your logout was successful before leaving the site.
  
  
• Don't share your STC printing allotment. Your printing allotment is intended for your own use in pursuit of your academic goals. You can check your printing allotment at any time at: http://stcweb.stc.indiana.edu/print/

  For more, see About STC printing allotments at IUB.

  • If you are a member of a student organization in need of printing, ask your faculty/staff sponsor to contact  stcprint@indiana.edu  to apply for a Student Organization printing allotment.
    
    
  • If you are a student employee and need to do work-related printing, ask your employer to provide access to departmental printing resources or purchase a supplemental printing allotment on your behalf by contacting  stcprint@indiana.edu .
    
    
• Never share your passphrase with anyone. No one has the right to ask you for your passphrase. If you suspect someone has gained access to your passphrase, change it immediately at: https://passphrase.iu.edu/

  You can be held accountable for the actions of anyone using your account, with or without your permission. If you believe your account has been compromised, please notify the University Information Security Office at  uiso@iu.edu  as soon as possible.

• You may leave a workstation for up to 15 minutes. If you take a break and are gone longer than 15 minutes, your workstation may be given to the next person waiting in line. If your workstation is locked and you have not returned after 15 minutes, the computer will be restarted and unsaved data will be lost.
  
  
• Use of tobacco products in the STCs is strictly forbidden. Anyone found smoking, chewing, or snuffing tobacco will be told to stop or leave the lab immediately. Those choosing to leave will not lose access to their workstations if they return within 15 minutes.
  
  
• Lab telephones are not for public use when the lab is staffed. Some STCs provide phones for consultants to use to call other labs for assistance in answering customer questions or to contact their supervisors. During hours when Technology Center Consulting (TCC) is not staffing the labs, students may use the phones.
  
  
• Tampering with STC workstations is not permitted. To ensure a uniform appearance in the labs, the STCs have an elaborate model for maintaining a secure and highly reliable network of personal workstations for student computing. Students found tampering with any of the workstations, display devices, printers, or other computing hardware in an STC may lose some or all of their computing privileges.
  
  
• Running TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs, server programs, or any other program in an unattended state is not permitted in the STCs. These kinds of programs degrade system performance and affect subsequent users of the workstation.
  
  
• Any of the following practices may result in the loss of computing privileges or other disciplinary action:
  
  
  • The use of a username other than your own to gain access to an STC workstation
  • Any attempt to disconnect a workstation, any of its components, or any other computing hardware in an STC
  • Any attempt to circumvent the network in an STC by connecting workstations together
  • Any attempt to circumvent security in an STC
  • Any unauthorized attempt to attach a device or cable of any kind to the back of a workstation. On most STC workstations, front panel connections for headphones and USB-compliant devices are readily available for the convenience of students. If the provided connection points are insufficient, see a consultant for assistance.
  
  
• Copyright infringement is against the law. The duplication and distribution of copyrighted materials without the express written permission of the author constitutes copyright infringement; see How to avoid copyright law infringement with digital media.

Anyone disturbing the academic environment of an STC may be asked to leave.

Comments/Questions/Corrections