Computer Acquistion, Replacement & Support
Policy #81


CTS and Purchasing will negotiate annual pricing for a range of standard makes and models of computers based on the overall computing needs of the campus community and volume of computers to be replaced in a specific year within the provisions of state policies governing the procurement of this type of equipment. To take advantage of negotiated savings, all faculty, staff and student employee computer workstations, regardless of funding source or department, will be purchased through Campus Technology Services. CTS will be responsible for operational support of all University owned PC assets. All computers will be replaced in departments on a three year rolling cycle. The schedule of departments to be upgraded in a given year will be based on the timing of their last computer refresh and age and the operating condition of existing equipment.

Unless stated otherwise below, Campus Technology Services will be responsible for the costs associated with maintaining the campus computers and providing user support. Specific guidelines for funding the acquisition and support of these workstations are listed below.

•  All faculty, academic staff, and classified staff positions are eligible to receive one desktop workstation, laptop, or thin client workstation. Selection of the type of computer a department and/or individual will be provided with will be based on the specific computer functions, capacity and applications required in performing their jobs. To ensure each user's computing needs are properly understood and considered in selecting the appropriate computer type, users will need to submit a computer usage survey, accessible through the following link:

http://uwp.edu/cgi/remark/3/rws3.pl?FORM=Replacement_Questions . Individual or departmental requests for new or repl acement computers are submitted through department chairs/heads for appropriate approvals using the Computer Replacement Request Form located on the CTS website at the following link: http://www.uwp.edu/departments/campus.technology/forms/ . Final approvals are made by appointing authorities in consultation with Deans/Directors. Once approved, requests are processed by CTS.

•  Requests for computers that require exceptions to the university's standard models must follow the same approval process as above, but may require additional processing time to allow CTS to obtain quotes from the approved vendors and special order.

•  Instructor workstations in general assignment classrooms will be provided from the Computer Replacement fund.

•  A pool of PC and Macintosh laptop computers will be maintained in Media Services to be used for temporary checkout (i.e., two weeks or less) to faculty and staff for work related activities. These laptops cannot be checked out by student employees or general students.

•  The assignment of costs associated with the purchase or rent/lease of workstations or thin clients for LTE, Project, Grant-funded and Student Worker appointments will be determined on a case-by-case basis, by appointing authorities in consultation with Deans/Directors.

•  In Departments partially or fully funded by Program Revenue funds, the applicable percentage of the annual lease cost will be charged back to the appropriate PR funding codes. In 102-funded departments, annual costs will be charged to 102.

•  All computers covered by this policy, regardless of funding source are the property of the University and not of the individual receiving the funding. Exceptions may apply to Federal grant-funded equipment. A Federal grant may specify that the equipment is the property of the Federal government at the end of the grant.

•  Campus Technology Services must maintain an accurate inventory of all university owned computers from acquisition through disposal. CTS will conduct a physical inventory of all university owned computers during the annual replacement cycle. Inventory records will include the department, physical location, user and asset tag associated with each computer. Deans and Directors are responsible for formally notifying CTS of physical relocation of an issued computer, or change of user. This should be done by submitting a service request form, located on the CTS web site:

http://www.uwp.edu/departments/campus.technology/forms/ServiceRequestForm.cfm .

Computer moves of Desktops, or laptops with docking stations, should only be performed by authorized CTS staff.

•  All departments and/or users issued a University owned computer are responsible for its appropriate and reasonable use and safeguarding as specified by the “Guidelines for Appropriate Use of University Owned Computersâ€� published on the CTS web site: http://www.uwp.edu/departments/campus.technology/policies/ . All users need to sign and return the Assumption of Responsibility & Safeguarding Equipment Form , upon receipt of their computer.

New equipment is leased and all components make up a package that must be returned intact at the end of the lease period. For desktop systems, this includes the computer, monitor, keyboard and mouse. For laptop systems, this includes the laptop, docking station, monitor, keyboard and mouse.

If any machine or computer-related equipment (i.e. monitors, printers, scanners, etc.) is to be moved from one office to another or transferred to a different person, a Service Request Form must be submitted to CTS. CTS personnel will then move the equipment and update the inventory database with the new location and/or user name.

Only a Dell or Apple Certified Technician can open the casing of any new equipment. If any other person does this, it voids the warranty. Under no circumstances should anyone but CTS Dell-certified or Apple-Certified Desktop Support personnel open the case or install an internal device. Should an individual require additional devices such as a larger hard drive or CD/DVD burners, they should work with CTS Desktop Support or purchase external devices.

Campus computers, especially laptops, shall not be left unattended or unmonitored in an unsecured area. When possible, computers should be physically secured to prevent unauthorized access and removal. If an unsecured computer is stolen, the department to which it was assigned is responsible for replacement costs. Users of laptops and docking stations are responsible for taking precautions against theft and damage to the units. Normal wear and tear is expected, but each individual is liable for excessive damage or theft due to carelessness.

Please read “UW-Parkside Guidelines for Acceptable Use of Computing and Technology Resources� and adhere to the information.