Hamilton College
Skip Main Navigation
Skip Section Navigation ITS At A Glance ITS Home For Prospective Students For New Students Mission Statement Activities and Priorities Teams and Members Forms Lab Facilities Technology Classrooms Policies, Procedures, Plans, and Standards ITS Job Opportunities ITS Office Directory Network Status Log Buying a Personal Computer ITS Newsletter
Contact Information

315-859-4169
315-859-4185 (fax)

College Computer Equipment


Section Contents:
[Replacement of College Computer Equipment] [Loaner Equipment] [Departmental Equipment] [Grant-Funded Equipment] [Printers and Other Peripheral Equipment] [Responsibility for Equipment] [Upgrades and Renewal]

Replacement of College Computer Equipment

Most college computer equipment is replaced on a regular cycle (see exceptions below). The Goals of the replacement plan are to:
    • assure that appropriate computing resources are available in public and departmental computing facilities, classrooms, and college offices to support the mission of the institution;

    • assure that each faculty and staff member who uses computing resources in his or her position has a computer of sufficient capability to fulfill his/her responsibilities;

    • implement minimum standards for computing equipment on campus;

    • encourage planning, cost-effective installation of new equipment and disposal of old equipment.
Computer equipment is generally replaced during the summer months (July 1 - August 15). Replacement schedules are distributed annually to departments in early November for review and consultation with ITS staff. Hardware configurations for new equipment are prepared in April/May and individuals with equipment scheduled for replacement are notified of those details. The new equipment is ordered to arrive at the beginning of the fiscal year.

College computers on the replacement cycle are divided into four categories:
    • RED - Replaced every 3 years with a new computer. Configured for those using or supporting specialized applications that are system resource intensive. Examples of such applications include desktop program compilers, editing digital video, and performing statistical analysis on large data sets.

    • WHITE - Replaced every 2 years with a three-year old machine. For those running a subset of the standard applications and for student intern and student organization workstations.

    • BLUE - Replaced every 4 years with a new computer. For those primarily running the standard applications and the occasional use of specialized applications.

    • YELLOW - Replaced every 3 years with a computer configured with current technology and suitable for individuals using the standard application set: Eudora, Internet Explorer, the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and FileMaker.
Each computer in the replacement plan is designated as being in one of these groups (at the time it is replaced) with a tentative date indicated for replacement. Generally, individuals will have one college computer provided for them on the replacement plan. By the nature of their responsibilities, some individuals may need to have more than one computer to accomplish their responsibilities - for example, if they must use both Macintosh and Windows platforms in their work. In these cases, department heads/supervisors may request from the appropriate officer of the college (e.g., for faculty, the Dean of the Faculty) that an exception be made. The College provides an interest-free loan program to assist individuals in acquiring computers for their personal use.

Computers are essential tools for faculty, even when they are on sabbatical leave. For this reason the college permits faculty on leave to continue to use their computer during that period. Computers will be provided to faculty replacements from a pool of computers designated for this purpose.

Computers are not to be purchased from departmental operating budgets. Only special funds designated for computer replacement or equipment purchases may be used for this purpose. The officers of the college approve such funds. Certain departments or individuals obtain grants or have special budget allocations for computing equipment. Computers purchased with these grants or budget allocations will not be on the replacement plan unless approval is obtained from the officers at the time the grant is received or the budget is allocated.

Loaner Equipment

Hamilton College employees can borrow laptop computers for up to 7 consecutive days for uses related to college business. Both Macintosh and Windows laptops are available. These computers are enabled for wireless and high-speed internet access. Reservations are required, and should be made at least two business days in advance. For more information, or to make a reservation, call 4LLP (4557), or e-mail: laptop@hamilton.edu

Departmental Equipment

All college computers are maintained in a central inventory. At the time a computer enters the inventory the replacement cycle, if any, is designated. Computers that are an integral part of a piece of scientific equipment, or are used primarily for research purposes, are not generally part of the replacement plan. Replacement of such equipment is by a special request to the Dean of the Faculty. Old equipment is sold for residual values through Hamilton's official salvage process and must be returned to ITS.

Grant-Funded Equipment

Individuals pursuing grants for computing equipment should discuss their plans with the Director, Desktop Integration Services as part of the budgeting process. Computing equipment that is acquired under grants will enter the inventory and be upgraded on a regular replacement cycle only if approved at the time of the application for the grant.

Faculty members teaching in various special curricular programs are, under certain conditions, awarded research, or startup, funds. Some faculty members also have research funds available to them when they hold endowed chair positions. These funds may be used to buy additional computers and printers for office or home use, but the equipment will belong to the college. Such equipment should be ordered through the College purchasing process and will not normally be upgraded or replaced by the college, except through further use of research funds. If this equipment is to be on the computer replacement plan the faculty member must obtain a commitment, in writing, from the Dean and the Vice-President for Administration and Finance indicating this. Otherwise, the equipment will not be on a replacement cycle.

Printers and Other Peripheral Equipment

The college provides networked printing locations for workgroup clusters in every department. Individual desktop printers are not normally provided. Other peripheral pieces of equipment such as scanners are also generally provided in clustered locations instead of individual offices. Since these pieces of equipment are usually used intermittently, clustering allows sharing of specialized technical resources.

Responsibility for Equipment

Each employee is responsible for taking reasonable safety precautions in regard to Hamilton-owned computer equipment. Employees will be held responsible for damage to such equipment arising out of their negligence or intentional misconduct.

Upgrades and Renewal

For computer equipment on the replacement plan ITS staff members consult with users prior to ordering and installing new equipment to determine the current and anticipated equipment needs. Computers that are replaced are returned to ITS. ITS then reassigns the computers or sells them through the campus salvage process. Hamilton will not upgrade non-Hamilton computers.

For questions about these Policies, Procedures, Plans and Standards, contact:
David Smallen
Vice President for Information Technology, Hamilton College
(315) 859-4169

Key Resources

Audiovisual/Presentation Requests Central Storage E-Mail HILLgroup Information Commons ListServ Mailing List Info Multimedia Presentation Center (MPC) Technology Support Search Quick Reference Guide Web Support

Services (phone numbers)

Audiovisual Services (x4231) Benefactor (x4633) Cable Television (x4120) Colleague (x5247) Computer Repair (x4171) Helpdesk (x4181) Instructional Support (x4877) Laptop Loaner (x4169) Network (x5638) Phones - Employees (x4160) Phones - Students (x4160) Training (x4178) Web Support (x4932)