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BRYN MAWR COLLEGE

Office of the Provost

Policy on Equipment for Instruction and Research, including Computing Equipment

The policy on the acquisition, maintenance and replacement of equipment for instruction and research was discussed with the science chairs and the Committee on Academic Computing and took effect in February 1997. These revisions incorporate some further clarifications of the policy regarding computing equipment which is acquired within and outside the "replacement cycle," or "cascade,” which is administered by Information Services. These clarifications were developed in consultations between the Science Chairs and Information Services in Spring 2005 and are available as an addendum to these guidelines.

Note that this document refers to working with Information Services, which should be interpreted as working with the Director of Computing Sciences and the head of the science node.

Equipment pool for the sciences and mathematics

Each year, at the start of a new budget cycle, the Provost's Office relays to the chairs of the science departments the amount of money to be available in the next academic year to fund science equipment for research and instruction, including computers used in a laboratory setting, but excluding desktop office computers. It is the responsibility of the science chairs to allocate the science equipment pool among the departments, giving priority to equipment used principally for instruction.

The College will use restricted income earmarked for equipment, from gifts, grants and the endowment, to offset as much of this expense as possible. We encourage departments to seek outside funding to add to, upgrade and/or replace instructional equipment. To facilitate that initiative, the Resources and Grants Offices are committed to working with departments in a concerted manner.

Computer teaching classrooms and open "labs"

Funding for such general labs and the instructional machines in classrooms is centralized, i.e. this funding will not normally be in a departmental budget. It must remain, however, one of the responsibilities of a department chair to work with Information Services to plan and maintain the functionality of those facilities which the departments use in their teaching and research.

The regular cooperation between individual departments and Information Services enables us to have appropriate computer-based facilities for all basic, broadly used applications. Individual departments are responsible for budgeting for specialized software and may need to provide knowledgeable teaching assistants or monitors to assist student users, as appropriate. Information Services and faculty members may expect to be involved in working with the Provost and the Resources and/or Grants Offices to secure outside support for these facilities.

Desktop office computers

The College provides each faculty member with a computer, software, and connectivity sufficient to support basic office productivity software, such as word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, and Web access. Information Services manages the Cascade budget, which is currently sufficient for a four year replacement cycle. Departments need not make requests through the budget process to have basic office computer needs addressed on this cycle.

While networked printing is supported for workgroup areas, the College does not have the resources or staffing to provide and maintain printers for individual faculty offices.

Individuals who attempt to make unauthorized repairs and damage College equipment will be responsible for the damage they incur.

Additional and/or advanced applications needs

If an individual member of the faculty or a department has special needs for additional equipment or specialized software or upgraded equipment, the chair is asked to address that need as part of the normal budget process. For example, those members of the faculty in the sciences, mathematics and social sciences who need more powerful computers than the "standard issue" to support their basic instructional needs should make that need a part of their departmental budget process. Faculty members dependent on the use of high-end research computers, however, will need to seek outside grant support. The College does recognize that its faculty members may be less competitive for such grants than faculty members at larger research institutions. It is therefore reasonable for there to be some College support for upgrades/replacements if outside funding has been sought unsuccessfully.

Equipment obtained on initial research accounts

As of February 1997, it is College policy that all equipment obtained on initial research accounts, including computers, is the property of the College, purchased to enable the faculty member to pursue his or her instructional and research needs as a member of the Bryn Mawr College faculty. When the need comes to replace, upgrade or add to this suite of equipment, the principles noted above apply.

When faculty members who have had initial research accounts leave the College, the status of that equipment is negotiated with the Provost. Although the College bought the equipment, it may be the case that with the departure of the faculty member the equipment is of no further use to the College and the Provost, in consultation with the department chair, may decide to let the departing individual take the equipment.

Research equipment

The faculty are encouraged to seek outside funding to add to, upgrade and/or replace their research equipment. The Director of Sponsored Research is committed to work with faculty members to facilitate those efforts. Some level of College matching grants may be available to supplement outside grant funding.

Faculty members who buy equipment with their College research accounts are responsible for the repair and/or replacement of that equipment. If funding for equipment has multiple sources (i.e. a research fund, an outside grant, and College funds), the Provost and the faculty member will agree in writing on who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of the equipment.

Equipment obtained on outside grants

It is the College's position that equipment purchased by means of outside grants which have been administered through the College are the property of the College. The granting agency often stipulates the status and disposition of such equipment. The College is responsible for maintaining such equipment.

If, however, a faculty member obtains equipment on an outside grant which is not administered by the College, the equipment is the property of the individual and it is the responsibility of the faculty member, not the College, to underwrite the costs of repair and replacement.

Addendum from Information Services

The Information Services staff does its best to provide the most appropriate computer and software for each member of the community. Given the current staffing and funding, it is necessary to consider budgetary and support issues when determining what level of individualization can be supported. The concepts, described below, of “full”, “shared” and “minimal” support were created to aid the fair and effective distribution of available resources. The computing support available to Bryn Mawr faculty is may be found in a chart.

Full Support
This category is for hardware and software -- regardless of funding source -- that conforms to the currently supported campus configurations.
Full hardware support is provided for configurations that have been deployed as part of the cascade during the past four years: these computers will be maintained by Information Services up to and including hardware problem diagnosis and resolution. Information Services will be responsible for hardware repairs and hardware-related manufacturer contracts.
Full software support focuses on Information Services’ supported productivity tools (e.g. email, word processing and internet) and on computer stability and security (e.g. virus protection and security updates). Information Services provides installation, troubleshooting, how-to help and configuration for the operating system, productivity software, and security of the computer.

Shared Support
This category is for specialized hardware and software.
Shared hardware support is provided for configurations that are more than four years old and computers that are not fully supported configurations, but have been purchased from a supported hardware vendor. Under shared support, an Information Services hardware technician will examine the computer and determine whether it can be repaired and if the repair is cost-effective. The relevant science department will assume financial responsible responsibility for hardware repairs and hardware-related manufacturer contracts.
Shared software support covers most software used for academic or specific administrative functions that Information Services installs or assists in installing. Information Services troubleshoots or assists in troubleshooting issues related to application installation and basic function, but does not claim expertise in the use of the program and its features. Therefore, primary responsibility for application support, licensing and purchasing lies with the department or individual using or teaching with it.
Desktop Computers running a supported Linux distribution on a supported hardware platform will have shared hardware and software support. IS will offer to use a base image for system restoration should there be an irresolvable software or configuration issue.

Minimal Support
This category is for most non-networked computers and most computers that are dedicated to monitoring or controlling scientific equipment. In this category, the science department or the individual scientist has primary financial and support responsibility for the support of the computer hardware and software. Information Services provides advice and assists on a case-by-case basis.
Minimal hardware support is for non-inventoried computers and peripherals, old systems, and systems that require unusual and/or unchangeable hardware configurations because of their specific use. This category covers computers that may be part of a scientific equipment purchase where the equipment vendor supplies a controlling computer or requires a specific hardware configuration or component for equipment compatibility.
Minimal software support is for both specific software packages and complete configurations which must differ greatly from the core support structure or require specific technical knowledge for installation, configuration, and basic use.
Desktop computers running an unsupported Linux/Unix distribution and/or running on an unsupported hardware platform will have minimal hardware and software support. Information Services would recommend that the individual scientist or science department retain a base image for system restoration should there be an irresolvable software or configuration issue.
All computers on the campus network are able to be monitored for security breaches or for participation in spreading viruses. If such a breach occurs, the affected computer will be removed from the network and its owner/user notified of this action; Information Servies will offer to participate as part of a collaborative group to address the issue and restore network access as soon as possible.

Updated Summer 2005
Office of the Provost
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