Technology for StudentsIf you are a new or returning Wofford student, the following information can help you take full advantage of our campus network.
What network facilities are available at Wofford?
There are four components of the Wofford Information Network available to students on campus:
- An Ethernet computer network that provides high-speed access to various college information resources, including e-mail, the Library, the Internet, and network storage.
- A wireless extension to our network (nicknamed "Air Terrier") that supports two fast, modern wireless technologies known as 802.11g and 802.11a. Air Terrier uses WEP encryption to improve the privacy of Wofford's wireless users.
- A telephone system that provides phone service and voicemail service to every campus location.
- A cable TV network that delivers 70+ channels of video to every campus location.
What computer facilities are available for students at Wofford?
Wofford has a campus-wide data network with over 2200 data ports. Every residence hall room has one network port for each resident. The Great Oaks Hall in the Roger Milliken Science Center is a high-technology study area with 50 easily-accessible computer ports, a networked laser printer, and a public computer lab. Public laser printers and/or kiosk computers also are available in the Campus Life Building, Burwell Hall, and the Olin Building.
Wireless access to the network is available almost everywhere in the interior of campus: the Great Oaks Hall, the Sandor Teszler Library, the Campus Life Building, the Anna Todd Wofford Center, Player's Corner, all academic and administrative buildings, the commons areas of Marsh, Greene, Shipp and DuPré residence halls, and the mall in the center of campus.
The Academic Computer Center in the Franklin W. Olin Building contains twenty-eight networked desktop PCs, six networked Apple Macintosh computers, two networked laser printers, and a scanner. During the academic year, this center is open around eighty hours per week, Sunday through Friday. The computers in the Computer Center have a wide range of software loaded for student needs, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access), Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Premier Elements, Adobe Soundbooth, and other programs. In addition, the Macintosh computers are equipped with the video-editing software, iLife.
Several departments (e.g., biology, chemistry, foreign languages, physics, and psychology) and the Library also have networked computers that are available for use by students. The Library has many network ports to which computers can be connected.
Information Technology staffs and maintains an Audio-Video laboratory in the Olin Building where student and faculty can produce and edit both audio and video. Video cameras and voice recorders can be checked out for use in these projects.
Wofford makes available several important software packages, such as SPSS, MathCAD, Mathematica, MATLAB, and Gaussian for use in advanced classes. These applications generally can be accessed on campus over the campus network.
Is it necessary to bring my own computer?
A personal computer is not required at Wofford. On the other hand, you should strongly consider bringing a computer to campus because of the convenience and the experience it provides. It is best to obtain the highest level of computing power and options within your budget. Minimum guidelines are listed below. A faster processor, additional memory and greater disk space all will enhance your capabilities.
For PCs:
• Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2.0 GHz, or AMD 64X2 dual core processor, 2.2 GHz
• 2 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive, DVD-RW or CD-RW drive
• Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business, or Windows Vista Ultimate
• We DO NOT support Windows 2000, XP Home, or Vista Home Basic
For Apple:
• Processor: 2GHz Intel processor or 800MHz PowerPC processor
• 2 GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive, ComboDrive or SuperDrive (CD-RW/DVD)
• Operating System: Mac OS 10.4.x Tiger & Mac OS 10.5.x Leopard
Both PC and Apple also require a color monitor, CD-ROM or DVD drive, 10/100 Mbit Ethernet network interface, and sound card, all of which are standard on new computers. We recommend an 802.11a/g or 802.11a/b/g wireless adapter if you want to access our wireless network.
While we do not recommend any one brand of computer over another, we do use a variety of Apple computers on campus and prefer Dell as our PC vendor. The Help Center Staff is currently completing Dell certification, which will allow us to provide a wider range of support for Dell computers.
Should I bring a desktop or notebook computer?
Both desktop and notebook PCs will work with the Wofford network. Desktops have the advantages of lower price, a larger keyboard, and a larger monitor. Notebooks have the advantages of mobility, ease-of-fit into residence hall rooms, and, if they are equipped with wireless network adapters, access to our wireless network in public areas.
What do I need to connect to Wofford's wired network?
You will need a network port, which generally is standard on a new computer, and a network cable.
What do I need to connect to the Air Terrier wireless network?
We strongly recommend that incoming students who are interested in wireless access purchase notebook computers that support both "a" and "g" wireless networks - sometimes referred to as being "Wi-Fi compatible." Computers from Dell marketed as "802.11a/g" or "802.11a/b/g" are examples.
Can I use online telephone and video chat applications?
Wofford supports common online telephone and video chat software: Skype and iChat.
Do I need a printer?
Because the Wofford campus is fully networked it is possible to print to public laser printers located in several places around campus, including the Academic Computer Center, the Great Oaks Hall, and the Campus Life Building. Personal printers are fairly inexpensive, though, and may be preferred because of their convenience.
What software do I need?
Good choices of Office suites are Microsoft Office 2007 for PC’s and Microsoft Office 2008 for Macs. We support the Office 2007/2008 suite of applications, as well as Outlook Web Access for email and Adobe Photoshop Elements for image processing. Microsoft Works is not recommended. Some Humanities classes use Mozilla Firefox and OpenOffice Writer, both of which can be downloaded for free from the Web.
Wofford furnishes Symantec Antivirus software for all students. It also is important to install anti-spyware software, which you can use to remove spyware and adware from your computer. Wofford's network security site, http://help.wofford.edu, has information about recommended anti-spyware software.
What is the telephone system like?
The Department of Information Technology manages Wofford's campus phone service. The department operates the PBX (Private Branch Exchange) and voicemail systems, and maintains all phone wiring.
Each residential room is equipped with a single, dedicated telephone line with a direct-dialed extension. Residents in each room share this extension. Residents should connect their own standard telephone to the white wall jack in the room. Students can dial other campus extensions by dialing the appropriate 4-digit extension or dial local and toll free numbers by first dialing 9.
Students are encouraged to share in the college’s long-distance service at very competitive rates. Students may sign up to participate at any time; however, service must be renewed annually in September. Additional information is available from the Business Office at extension 4221.
Each student is provided with his or her own voice mailbox upon arriving on campus. This voice mailbox number will be associated with the extension number of the student's dorm room. Should a call to the dorm room go unanswered, the caller will be prompted to choose the resident for whom he or she wishes to leave a message. Upon choosing, the caller will hear that resident's personal greeting and can leave a message. Residents are alerted to new voicemail messages by a stutter-dial tone on their telephone.
What is the cable television network like?
The Office of Information Technology also operates the campus cable television network. The cable television network provides international, national, local and campus news, educational programming, and entertainment.
Each dorm room is equipped with a connection to the campus cable television system. Residents should provide their own cable-ready television and connect it to the round coaxial-type wall jack with a quality coaxial cable. Coaxial cable is readily available at home supply and electronics stores.
There are 70+ channels of programming provided on Wofford's cable television network. All of the major broadcast networks and most of the popular cable networks are included. There are also 16 channels that carry programming specific to Wofford. Examples are SCOLA and TV5 foreign language broadcasting and SCETV's digital satellite network, an information channel.
What if I live off-campus?
Off-campus students still have access to some WIN services, as follows:
• Commuting students are issued a voice mailbox number so that messages can be left for those students. Check the voicemail instructions for more details.
• All students are eligible to receive an e-mail account, which can be accessed with a Web browser.