This document explains how to use the Student Center for events which require audio and/or video.

 

Please remember to observe the following procedures for using the Student Center:
- Reserve the lab with Shannon Johnson several days in advance.

- Contact Rob Amaral for any setup requirements (tables, chairs, etc.).

- Contact Kris Knutsen for training, and for him to test the equipment 30 minutes prior to the event.

- Pickup remotes and microphones from Shannon Johnson on the day of the event.

- Return equipment to Shannon Johnson ASAP.

Please review this document for tips on how to properly manage power for computers and peripherals.

 

- Only shut down computers at the end of the day. The cost savings does not outweigh the loss of time turning a computer on again.

- Leave monitors on at all times. The cost savings does not outweigh the loss of time and added confusion. When a monitor is off, the
  computer appears to be off, which often results in students shutting down a computer that is already on, thinking they are turning it on.

- Never turn off surge protectors (aka power strips). This results in an instantaneous loss of power to devices, which is undesirable.

  Computers should be shut down by either pressing the power button on the case, or selecting Shut Down within Windows.

- Turn off projectors whenever they are not being used.

This document lists the rules students should follow while in a lab.

 

Most importantly, students should never move or tamper with equipment for any reason. The most common (and albeit, relatively benign) example of this is when a student unplugs a keyboard and mouse from the back of a computer, and then plugs them into the front. They do this because they eroneously believe that the USB ports on the back of the computers are broken, but in reality the computer is still starting up and has not activated the mouse and keyboard yet. Windows likes to appear like it starts faster than it really does, and one bad byproduct of this is that the login screen often appears before the mouse and keyboard are active. When students attempt to login and the keyboard isn't working yet, some try another port. By the time the keyboard is plugged into the front port, Windows has activated the keyboard and it appears that the students have solved the problem. This misbelief has spread over the years, which explains why so many keyboards and mice are plugged into the front of computers. Please help recondition students. This may seem like a minor issue, but computers are sometimes damaged when students unplug devices from the back, the appearance becomes less tidy, and this "gateway" behavior paves the way for future tampering.