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Requirements, Services & Costs There is a strong interaction between the quality and extent of services a campus offers and the costs associated with this infrastructure. There is also a tremendous variation in the ways campuses charge for these services. To evaluate the benefits received, and to be able to directly compare costs, you will need answers to these questions.  What, if any, technology fee is charged by the campus and what does it cover? Wesleyan does not charge a technology fee. Are students required to purchase their own computer? Wesleyan does not require students to purchase a computer, although almost 95% of students do have a desktop or a laptop computer in their dorm room. Students who do not own a computer can use any of the late-model Windows and Mac computers available in the six public computing labs located throughout campus. Use of these facilities is free of charge. Students wishing to purchase a personal computer can find competitively priced PCs and Macs at the Wesleyan Computer Store and Service Center. How does the campus make computing and network access financially available to all students? Wesleyan provides free computing and network access through its public computing labs. For students who do purchase computers at The Wesleyan Computer Store and Service Center, a variety of payment methods are available. Does the campus assess extra fees for network connections in the dorms or for off-campus access? Off-campus users can access the university systems through the ITS modem pool. Use of the modems is free of charge. There is no network connectivity charges to the students. If I bring my own computer equipment to school, what kind of support can I expect from the campus? Wesleyan students receive desktop support in various ways. The ITS Helpdesk provides help for all computing problems. In addition to telephone assistance, the Help Desk will dispatch a Residential Computing Consultant to provide on-site help when it's needed.   Finally, the Wesleyan Computer Store and Service Center provides installation service for the ResNet software and repair service for malfunctioning computers. What hardware and software standards, if any, does the campus require, recommend, and/or support? The campus supports Mac and PC computers running MacOS, Windows98 and higher Operating Systems. (Windows ME and Windows XP Home Edition are the exceptions. They are not supported due to problems integrating with the campus network).  ITS also makes available licensed software necessary to connect to the campus network and the Internet through its software server.  In addition, ITS has negotiated with Microsoft to purchase the essential Microsoft software and make it available to students at a nominal cost (cost of the media). What kinds of services (help desk, training, troubleshooting) are provided by the campus, and during what hours of operation? Wesleyan provides training and troubleshooting and help desk services through various units. The ITS Helpdesk is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the semester and can be accessed by phone or through a walk-in service. ITS and the Wesleyan Olin Library offer training for new students in the use of information technology and library information in the beginning of the new academic year. The library also provides one-on-one instruction in both research skills and technology by appointment. Information about these programs can be found at http://www.wesleyan.edu/litt/ The ITS homepage is also a useful resource. Here you can find computer tips, an archive of software to download and find relevant information about computing resources at Wesleyan. ITS also publishes ITSNews, an online technology newsbrief available via email and on the Web. Does the campus have a plan for keeping the hardware current, and, if so, what is the replacement cycle? Wesleyan prides itself on offering state-of-the-art hardware and software to its students, faculty and staff. Our current replacement cycle for public computing labs is two years. Faculty computers are replaced every three years. All centralized computing equipment is replaced as needed. How does the campus support printing for the students, and is there a charge for this? ITS has many printers distributed in the public computing labs and in the library. Students can print for a charge of 5 cents for black and white and 25 cents for color. Academic Experience | Administrative Experience | Social Experience Requirements, Services & Costs