Operating Procedures AFLS B 108 Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences,University of Arkansas

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Operating Procedures AFLS B 108

Appropriate Use of the Bumpers Computer Labs:

Appropriate use of the Labs should always reflect academic honesty, ethical and moral responsibility and restraint in the consumption of shared resources. Appropriate use demonstrates respect for intellectual property, ownership of data, system security mechanisms, and for individuals' rights to privacy and rights to freedom from intimidation, harassment and unwarranted annoyance.

The Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences Computer Labs are provided for use by current students, faculty and staff of the College and others taking classes offered by the College (aka. authorized Users):
The AgAnnex Labs are funded from undergraduate fees. Therefore, priority is given to undergraduate students and their academic computing needs in that facility. Several departments within the College provide computer facilities for use by their current students, faculty and staff of their respective departments. Lab users may be requested to present a valid University I.D. to use the Lab(s). In some instances, a validated I.D. is required to gain access. Please refer to the Lab operator in charge of each facility to verify accessibility. Operator information may be obtained by following the "Contacts" link on this page. Others wishing to use the Lab(s) should obtain permission from the Lab Operator in charge of the given facility or the Lab administrator.
- It is at the discretion of each instructor to allow other students, who are not attending their class, to use the Lab during his or her class: Please discuss the matter with the appropriate instructor before attempting to use the Labs during a scheduled class.
- All users must use computing equipment, software, and network access in a manner pursuant to the University Codes of Conduct, the University Code of Computing Practices and applicable statutes of the Arkansas Criminal Code.
- Tampering with any equipment, software or data in the computer Lab is considered vandalism, which may lead to civil liability or criminal prosecution.
- Activities that interfere with the ability of other users to make effective use of campus computing and network resources are prohibited.
- Programs and data provided in the AFLS Computer Labs are not to be taken to other computer sites:
  You may use software on AFLS Lab computers only if it has been legally obtained and if its use does not violate license or copyright restrictions. You may not use programs in the Labs that were obtained from other computer sites unless they are in the public domain and authorization to use them has been obtained from the Network Administrator.
- The AFLS Computer Labs are not part of the University's General Access Computer Labs (GACL) system: Use of all AFLS Computer Labs, including AGRX is a privilege not a right. The Lab operator may ask any user (authorized or unauthorized) to leave at any time.
- Inappropriate use or violation of the Labs' operating procedures may result in revocation of Lab privileges, referral to the University's Judicial Board or criminal prosecution.
- When a class is in session in a Lab, public access is restricted: Please ask the operator on duty if you have a question concerning availability of the Labs or consult the Labs' calendar.
  
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General Use of the AFLS B-108 Lab:

Users of the AFLS Computer Labs are expected to follow the guidelines below at all times.
- Active Directory account activation is now required to access AFLS Lab Computers: Follow the link below to activate your account.
  Activate Your Active Directory Account via PassWeb (secure)
- Try to work from the computer's hard drive and backup to removeable media: Hard drives provide a more reliable and faster media than removable disk(c)s or remote storage, such as floppy disk, Zip disk, flash media (USB or thumb drive) and CD-RW or network storage space. Simply place a copy of the file with which you will be working in a temporary folder on the local hard drive. Then, periodically save the file to your removable media or network space, noted below, and immediately save the file to the hard drive again to continue working from that location. Note: The location from which you are currently working is always the last location to which you saved your file. To ensure your own privacy, after saving your current work to removable or remote media (Zip, floppy, thumb drive, CD-RW or network), please delete your working files from the hard drive before leaving the Labs. On Windows computers, you should always empty the Recycle Bin on your desktop to free that space for subsequent users.
- A location for temporary storage of work files is provided: These scratch areas may be cleaned on a periodic basis. Lab management cannot be responsible for lost data that was stored on any computer in the Labs. Users are expected to save their work on floppy disk, Zip disk, CD-RW, USB drive or their network space.
- Save early and save often to help prevent lost work: While every effort is made to keep the Labs in peak operating condition, random events can and do happen. Some programs include a backup or recovery technique. If you feel that you are on the verge of losing a significant amount of your work, please consult the Lab operator on duty before taking drastic action. It could save you time.
- The My Documents folder now provides access to your Comp space: Computing Services provides all users 300MB of space available on Comp. When you logon to the computers in the AFLS Computer Labs, your Comp space is automatically made avialable in the My Documents folder. If you will need a file to be available elsewhere on campus, simply copy the file to the My Documents folder. Then, the file can be retrieved later from any location on campus that allows Active Directory account logon.
- Be sure to LOGOFF when you leave: If you leave the Lab and you are still logged on to a computer, other users can access your Comp space (see above).
- The AFLS Computer Labs do not permit users to install software on Lab computers: Unauthorized programs found on Lab computers will be promptly removed without warning. Authorized users, including instructors, who wish to install software should contact the Lab operator on duty or the Lab administrator for assistance. If you are found installing software in the Labs, your access may be restricted, or disciplinary action may be taken.
- Users may not connect peripheral devices to any Lab computer without prior permission from the Lab operator or Lab administrator: The only exceptions are the connection of headphones or USB thumb drives. We encourage users to see the Lab operator about headphones or thumb drives to ensure that they are connecting them properly.
- Problems with hardware or software should be reported to the Lab operator as soon as they are detected, so repairs can be expedited.
- If a user leaves the Lab for more than 15 minutes, the computer left behind may be made available to someone else.
- If there are people waiting to use the Lab, and you are engaging in non-academic pursuits, you will be asked to give up the computer you are using.
- The primary responsibilities of the Lab operators on duty are to help troubleshoot problems and maintain the Lab equipment:
  They are not required to provide personal instruction on how to use any application. However, simple requests for assistance will be granted and you may view manuals for the purpose of solving simple program usage problems. Many applications have Help facilities to aid in the use of the software.
- No food, drink, or tobacco products are allowed in the Labs under ANY circumstances.
- The telephones in the Labs are for business and emergency use only:
  Since classes meet in the Labs, the phone numbers are not given out and the operator will not attempt to locate students who might be using the Labs.
  
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Printer Use in the AFLS B-108 Lab:

Authorized users of the AFLS Computer Labs can print class related documents free of charge. The AFLS Computer Lab operators reserve the right to cancel, reschedule or withhold print jobs that do not follow the Labs' printing guidelines.
- You may need to install a printer: If a printer is not currently installed on the computer you are using, locate and double-click the icon on your desktop for the appropriate printer. If no icon is available, please ask the operator on duty for assistance.
- Authorized users may only print class related documents in the Labs: Acceptable printing includes: course work, research for course related topics and professional correspondence. No personal printing or duplicates are allowed. There is a copy center on campus and student copiers in various locations on campus for duplicating documents. Please call 575-2646 for more information.
- If you do not intend to wait for your printout and take it with you, please do not submit the job at all: Paper and toner are expensive and if not used appropriately, those in the UA community may be charged for all printing.
- Instructors are encouraged to photocopy handouts rather than expecting students to print them in the Labs.
- There is currently a 25 page per day limit on printing: If you need to print a larger document, please consult with the lab operator before submitting the print job. Or, you may print the sections of the job that you currently need and then print the remaining pages on another day.
- Please use the spell checker and print preview features before printing your document: Check your document before you print it. Please do not print blank pages and/or garbage characters.
- Please attempt to print items exclusively from the local hard drive: PDF documents are notorious for taking an excessive amout of time to print, especially when printing them from a web page. If you right-click a PDF's link and select "Save Target As...", you can save the file to C:\Temp and open it from there. If you do end up needing to print the document, the printing step will work much more smoothly. As noted above in the General Use section, please remove your files from the temporary space when you are finished with them. Instead of printing the document, you might consider moving those files to your own removable, such as a thumb drive or other protable disk. You will then have electronic access to them at any time you are near a computer.
- If you need to print a page from a web browser, look for a "Printer Friendly" link: Often web pages will offer a link labelled "Printer Friendly" to allow proper formatting and a better fit to 8 1/2 x 11 paper. These special links are provided voluntartily by the web provider and may not appear on all web pages.
- If your print job is not ejected from the printer, please ask the Lab operator on duty for assistance before re-printing: Typically, your printout is in the printer queue and may take a few minutes before coming out. The Lab operator can assist in releasing your print job.
- Help files and other online files should be printed only if absolutely necessary: Online Help pages typically exceed the 25 page per day limit. Documents larger than 25 pages must have Lab operator approval before they are sent to the printer.
- If the printer appears to be malfunctioning, please inform the Lab operator on duty immediately: Do not attempt to fix the printer yourself.
- Ensure that print jobs are printed before the Labs close: At closing time, the printer may be shut off, resulting in a loss of data. Planning ahead is always a good idea.
- Consult the Lab operator before using special paper: Special paper (resume stock, transparencies, etc.) frequently causes paper jams in the printer, as well as interrupting the normal workflow of others. All special paper must be handled by the Lab operator. Most special paper will not be allowed in the Lab printers, due to increased wear and tear on the printers. Typically, only paper provided by the Labs should be used in Lab printers.
  
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Color Printer Use in the AFLS B-108 Computer Lab:

Authorized users of the AFLS Computer Labs can print class related documents in color free of charge, only as specifically required by their course assigments. The AFLS Computer Lab operators reserve the right to cancel, reschedule or withhold print jobs that do not follow the Labs' color printing guidelines.
- You may need to install a printer:
  If a printer is not currently installed on the computer you are using, locate and double-click the icon on your desktop for the appropriate printer. If no icon is available, please ask the operator on duty for assistance.
- Authorized users may only print class related documents in the Labs:
  Acceptable printing includes: course work, research for course related topics and professional correspondence. No personal printing (eg. invitations, for sale signs, CD reviews) or duplicates (NO multiple copies) are allowed. The Union Color Copy Center is available in the Arkansas Union for duplicating color documents. Please call 575-2646 for more information.
  
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