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Laptops available for checkout in SUB
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Boise State recently purchased 10 Gateway laptops, and students can now check them out at the Info Desk in the SUB.
The laptops have wireless Internet access that can be used anywhere inside the SUB. They aren’t available for use in other buildings around campus though.
The Gateway Solo 1450s are equipped with an external zip drive, an internal floppy drive and DVD-ROM.
The machines also come with an anti-virus system and were purchased with student fees.
Debbie Sanders, Information and Ticket office manager, said student response to the new laptops has been good.
“The students are really excited to have the laptops and the news is spreading by word of mouth,” Sanders said.
The laptops have a program called “Deep Freeze,” which ensures user privacy. It erases all the information that is stored on the computer by each student.
Every time a laptop is checked out, the system is cleared of the previous student’s activities to ensure the safety of personal information. Students need to save their work, as everything is erased after each use.
A policy must to be read and signed by each individual prior to checking out a laptop. The purpose is to ensure the safety of both the computers and the students.
The policy covers the ins and outs of the requirements which students are expected to abide by. Sanders said each student will have to provide their Boise State student ID card and must be in good standing with the university.
“We keep the information on file the student just needs to sign out each time,” Sanders said.
The ID card will be held at the information desk while the laptop is in use.
Students will be held liable for damages and replacement if the laptop is lost. Sanders estimated the replacement cost at $2,000. If any damages occur, students will have fines charged to their Boise State account.
The laptops can be checked out for 2 hours at a time. After 2 hours, the machines can be renewed for another session, but can’t be checked out more than 2 time slots per day.
If the laptop is not checked in at the necessary time, a late charge will be applied. The charge is $10 an hour up to $50 a day. Authorities will be contacted if a laptop has not been returned within a 24-hour period.
There are also rules of thumb students need to follow when checking out a laptop.
A laptop can not be left unattended, and Boise State will not take responsibility for the exchange of viruses to a disk or the uploading of personal software. Also the observing of pornographic material is a violation of the state law.
The laptops need to be checked into the Information Desk one half hour before it closes.
There is no charge for the use of the machines.
Colleen Underwood, The Arbiter