User Policies for Graduate Programs Computer Lab
Department of Gerontology

The Department of Gerontology and the Gerontology Institute have established a committee to oversee the computing and information technology environment. Part of the responsibility of this committee is to provide guidance for the maintenance of the Gerontology Graduate Programs Computer Lab. Students wishing to make suggestions or report problems may contact the Graduate Program Director or department administrator. The Gerontology Department Computer Lab hardware and software resources are periodically up-dated, as needed.

The Lab operates in a generally informal fashion. We rely heavily on the integrity of the users of these resources to make this an effective resource. However, the growth of our graduate programs requires that we identify the responsibilities and privileges of users of the Gerontology Department Computer Lab. This document addresses these issues and also establishes a policy for use of the printers in the Lab. These policies were generated with helpful input from Gerontology graduate students.

1. Lab resources may be used by Gerontology Graduate Program students, faculty and staff, as well as designated associates of the Gerontology Institute. Because of the size of the Management of Aging Services Track in the Masters Program, these students are expected to use the Graduate Student Computer Lab in the Healey Library. Exceptions to the user policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Persons who would like to have an exception to this policy considered should contact the Graduate Program Director.
2. The Lab may occasionally be used for instructional purposes. Approved instructional activities take priority over other activities. Users will be advised in advance about any interruptions to open access to the Lab.
3. Given the size of our graduate programs, it is not possible to give each student or associate access to a specific PC or portion of a PC. Therefore, students need to be aware that any files left on a Lab PC are in one sense "public" and are at risk of being removed or modified at any time. Thus, it is strongly recommended that backup files be created using alternative media (e.g., DVDs, CDs, "thumb drives") to save and protect these files after each use. Also, please be aware that we periodically remove files from the hard drives of the PCs to ensure sufficient memory and operating efficiency. Cleaning of the hard drives will occur as needed and users will NOT be notified of the dates/times of these maintenance tasks.
4. Because many different users use these machines and the volume of use varies at different time points, courtesy, cooperation and planning are important to maintaining an efficient and friendly operating environment.
5. Software should not be loaded onto PC’s without clearing this activity with the Graduate Program Director.
6. Do NOT download files from the Internet that may be deemed offensive to others. The PCs are NOT to be used to download music or video from the internet, unless specifically required for legitimate scholarly research or teaching activity.

Gerontology Computer Lab Printing Policy

In order to conserve Department resources and control the overall volume of printing activity, it is necessary to observer our printing policy for the Lab. Printing is a costly activity and we will rely on an honor system to keep these costs under control.

Gerontology Graduate Programs students, faculty, staff, and Gerontology Institute associates may use the laser printer and color inkjet printer (and any printers we may acquire in the future) for activities related to the Gerontology Graduate Programs, including course work, research and other professional activity. In all cases, if a large printing job is anticipated, please clear this with the GPD or the assistant to the GPD (Michele Campbell) before beginning the job.

Examples of the types of printing jobs appropriate for our printers include:

• Course-related activity (e.g., assignments, term papers, exams)
• Production of qualifying exam papers and dissertations
• Research-related activity under the supervision of Gerontology Graduate Program Faculty or Gerontology Institute associates
• Ancillary Graduate Programs Activity (e.g., honor society, activity associated with student roles as representatives to professional associations, McCormack Graduate School and other University units)
• Preparation of conference exhibits (e.g., overheads, power point presentations)
• Personal material that is not related to the Graduate Programs but which is small in volume and infrequent (users are expected to exercise appropriate judgment)

• Work related to persons or organizations other than the Gerontology Department (unless cleared in advance with the Administrative Assistant or GPD)
• "Printers as copiers." The printers may not be used to duplicate documents or other materials. In most circumstances, printers should be used to produce a single version of a document and a copy machine should be used to produce copies of the printed document, if necessary.

Printing E-reserve Materials for Courses

Because of the large volume of course reading material required by our curriculum, we cannot afford to have students print readings for courses posted to web sites (e.g., Healey e-reserves or e-journals) without cost recovery. Students may print these materials using the Lab laser printer only if they reimburse the Department for the cost of this activity. Students who chose to do this may print one copy of these materials at a cost of five (5) cents per page. A box is placed near the laser printer where students may deposit their money for pages they print. The contents will be removed periodically and when the proceeds reach an appropriate level, we will purchase printing supplies to be used in the Lab or other resources for graduate students. Students are also asked to record the number of course reading material pages printed in a notebook near the printer so that we can keep track of the printing volume. For this policy to work, an honor system must be followed. If we feel the system is not working, we will discontinue this option.