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As
schoolchildren across the country begin writing that
all-important classic essay in their English classes so
too must I put digital "pen" to
"paper" and chronicle the mighty summer efforts
of the general access lab managers to continue to upgrade
and maintain their facilities and services. Some of these
changes include equipment and software upgrades, the
redistribution of resources, and in one case, the
redesign of an entire lab area.
Equipment Upgrades
In the area of equipment upgrades the College of Arts and
Sciences leads the way by outfitting all four of its
facilities with Pentium4 2-Ghz machines. The College of
Music lab has replaced its Pentium computers with new
P4s. The College of Business lab has added color laser
printing to all of its printing areas and has developed
policies for the use of these new machines. They have
also purchased new P4's. The Academic
Computing Services lab has a sleek new look with
17-inch flat-panel displays replacing its old large
monitors. This has freed up considerable workspace at
each computer station. The Willis
24-hr lab has new tables, 17-inch flat panel screens, and
P4 machines on order and looks forward to having them in
place by mid-fall. Finally despite a tragic robbery in
mid-summer, the School of Visual Arts lab is replacing
the stolen equipment and is ready to roll for the fall.
Software Upgrades
Software upgrades have also been a part of lab
improvements this summer. Charles Andrews, manager of the
College of Education lab reports that COE has moved to
Windows 2000 and lab visitors will now log in using their
EUID to access the lab workstations. Additionally,
software provided by Lift
that works in conjunction with DreamweaverMX and
FrontPage 2002 will be available for students and student
workers in the COE lab to test web sites for
federal/state/university accessibility standards. The
software walks the user through making the necessary
correction needed to meet standards. Shortly, all web
sites on the various UNT web servers will be required to
meet these standards, including instructor course
materials. The COE lab is providing facilities for anyone
to analyze their web site and to adjust it as needed. The
lab located
in the School of Community Service has also moved to
Windows 2000.
Refurbishing and Redecorating
Refurbishing and redecorating activities have also
flourished. The Graduate
Student General Access Lab located in the School of
Library and Information Science is replacing all of its
old workstation counters with new tables. The general
access lab
located in the School of Community Service (Chilton Hall)
will have 10 additional machines available after a
redistribution from the Chilton 116 lab. Finally, the
Academic Computing Services Lab will have a major
restructuring and "facelift" as it becomes the
new facility for special needs students. This redesign
and reorganization is covered in a separate
article in this issue of Benchmarks Online.
Lab Hours
Important reminders about lab
hours for the fall include new hours for the Graduate
Student General Access Lab which will now be open
Monday-Thursday, 8:00am to 11:00pm; Friday and Saturday,
8:00am to 10:00pm; and Sunday, 12:00pm to 10:00pm. The
Willis 24-hour Lab will continue to serve the needs of
night owls everywhere. Be sure the check out the General Access Lab System
Website for a thorough review of lab locations,
hours, and policies. We look forward to seeing you this
fall!
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