More than 4,200 computers are available on campus, but some incoming freshmen are unsure of whether to take advantage Penn State's technology or to bring their own personal computers.
Out of 13 labs on campus, six -- Findlay Commons, Fisher Hall, Pollock Library, Redifer Commons, Waring Commons and Warnock Commons -- are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All are equipped with Macintosh and IBM computers.
Student consultants, such as Lucas Stone (senior-integrative arts), are also available to help with general questions about Access Accounts, lab equipment, software and printing. He recommends using smaller labs such as the ones located in Sparks and Willard buildings.
Computer users gain access to labs by identifying themselves with their Access Account user ID and password.
A person's user ID is usually his or her initials followed by a one- to three-digit number, such as xyz101. The letters are lowercase.
Freshmen who attended First-Year Testing, Counseling and Advising Program (FTCAP) during the summer should have their access accounts. The accounts give access to Internet services such as e-mail, eLion and the World Wide Web.
"I didn't get a computer because I think the labs are pretty convenient as far as late-night usage and less distractions that being in your dorm room," Renardo Grant (freshman-hospitality management) said.
One lab restriction is that only 110 pieces of printing paper are allowed to each user per semester. There is a seven-cent charge for each additional sheet of paper.
Despite the availability of computer labs, most freshmen in the past brought their own personal computers to school.
"Probably about 87 percent of students had computers last year," said Bryon Mushrush (senior-history), ResCom student manager.
The university Internet is set at 10 megabytes for information -- faster than a cable modem or DSL.
"I don't have to go anywhere to get my work done," said Andrew Schultz (freshman-biochemistry and molecular biology), acknowledging that sometimes room fixtures such as the TV and video games can be distracting.
Students can also download or upload 1 1/2 gigabytes of information, but anyone who goes over that limit is penalized. First and second warnings restrict a student's Internet to 56k for one week, a third warning mandates 56k for the remainder of the semester, and a fourth time ends the connection.
"This summer, 13 percent of dorms had one violation and 3 percent had third violations, which is a small amount," Mushrush said. "Last year those figures were higher but that was also for the entire semester opposed to a six week session."
He explained a large part of the problem is students who download too much music and movies.
Dorms have ResCom workers who are trained to help students with their access to the university's Ethernet network. For troubleshooting, go to www.rescom.psu.edu.
