Scranton
If you plan to live in a residence hall or a University owned house, you can use the ResNet service. All residence halls and University owned houses are connected to the Internet.
NO, but The University has agreements with major vendors to sell computers to Scranton students via the web.
Visit http://www.scranton.edu/dellsales to find out more about this attractive program.
This is our most often asked question by parents and the most difficult to answer. The fast changing nature of the computer industry changes what a "good" computer is weekly. Most computers you see on the market today will be adequate for use at the University. The real trick is purchasing one that will fill the needs of a student for all four years of their University career. Our advice is to purchase as much computer as you can within your budget.
Due to the increased utilization of technology in course related work, we strongly recommend students bring a laptop computer. If you carry a laptop with you, your documents and applications are always immediately available. With our campus wireless capabilities, your laptop can access the Internet while on the go, so you have more places to do research, check your email, and be more productive. Laptops also free up desk space, have fewer cables, and use less energy.
Students involved in activities such as athletics that take them away from campus, students who may decide to study abroad, and students with internships off campus can do course work wherever they are with a laptop computer.
Students do not need to bring their own printer. However, it would be more convenient for students to print in their own rooms instead of going to a central location on campus to print. Laser printers are available in many lab facilities.
YES, the University's Information Resources Division provides full Ethernet connections to all residence halls and University houses through a Residential Networking program called ResNet. A student who brings their own computer (meeting the ResNet hardware requirements listed below) with an Ethernet network adapter and installs the ResNet software that we provide has direct access to the Internet and campus data services such as E-mail, the Weinberg Memorial Library, the University Information System, my.scranton, and space for their personal web page.
ResNet service is part of your room contract. There is NO monthly or yearly charge for Internet access. However, you will need to purchase an Ethernet network cable and an Ethernet Adapter for your computer in order to connect to ResNet. ResNet Sales
A 50Mbps circuit from Level3 provides Internet connectivity to the campus.
Yes, a firewall is in place preventing inbound access to ResNet. ResNet is an outbound service only that prohibits the use of unauthorized servers.
The majority of residence halls are wireless. Students are prevented from establishing their own wireless networks in any university housing including wireless access points (such as Airport, Aironet, and other wireless base stations).
Recommended Laptop or Desktop computer configuration for 2008-2009 are:
* Windows operating system must be English version and Server versions are not allowed.
10/100/1000 Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC) installed (looks like a phone jack but bigger)
If you have a laptop computer and want to take advantage of our expanding wireless network you may want to get an 802.11b/g Wi-Fi certified network adapter in addition to the 10/100/1000 network adapter.
It is your responsibility to have an Ethernet network adapter installed and configured with the TCP/IP protocol before you can connect to ResNet.
We recommend purchasing a Cat5 network patch cable (this is not a phone cord). You can purchase the cable during Royal Welcome Weekend. ResNet Sales
Students can purchase network adapters at any computer retailers.
To connect to RoyalAir, you will need a wireless card that supports the 802.11b/g wireless networking standard.
Access to third-party e-mail accounts is not blocked, and students may continue to use those accounts if they wish. However, all current students are automatically given a University of Scranton e-mail address, and this address can be used to send and receive e-mail anywhere in the world. A student must use her University of Scranton e-mail address for all e-mail correspondence with Scranton's faculty and staff. If a student uses another account (AOL, Hotmail, etc.) to e-mail a faculty or staff member, the faculty or staff member may not respond. For this reason, we encourage students to have all their third-party e-mail forwarded to their University of Scranton e-mail account, and to use the latter in all correspondence.
Yes, ResCons (Residential Consultants) are resident students trained to assist with network connectivity problems. If you need help, free software support is available by calling the Help Desk at (570) 941-HELP. If the Help Desk cannot resolve your issue over the phone, your call will be logged and a ResCon will contact you to schedule a room visit.
Yes, during Royal Welcome Weekend we will have the following computer setup package available for a fee. This packages is not available after Royal Welcome Weekend.
Parent's Helper InformationParent's Helper for Laptops |
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Parent's Helper for Desktops |
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Approximately 98% of our students that live in the residence halls have a personal computer connected to ResNet.
We require all computers connected to ResNet to have anti-virus software installed and kept up to date, and provides McAfee Anti-Virus software at no charge for each student to install on her personal computer.
If a computer on ResNet is infected with a virus and attempts to spread the virus on the network, it will be disconnected from the network (including Internet and e-mail) until the viruses have been removed and ResNet verifies that the computer is clean. This is done to reduce the number of virus infections on the network.
ResNet has seen a significant increase in Adware/Spyware on students' personal computers over the past year. ResNet recommends free software such as LavaSoft's AdAware and SpyBot Search and Destroy to reduce the problem.
We strongly recommends that you purchase an extended warranty to cover the life of the computer (three or four years). Depending on the brand of computer and the coverage available, this can provide technical assistance with hardware and software problems that may occur during the time you own your computer. The University of Scranton does not provide assistance with hardware problems on students' computers - students will be directed to the computer manufacturer for hardware assistance.
We also recommend that students' computers be added to their families' home owner's or renter's insurance. The coverage may be an additional cost, but depending on the policy, the coverage may include issues such as broken screen or problems stemming from dropping the computer that the computer warranty may not cover. Please contact your insurance company for more information.
Yes. ResNet distributes instructions for connecting your computer and installing the network software. All software applications required to connect to the campus network and the Internet are free. Students are encouraged to set up their own computers, and most students are able to easily install the software and connect their personal computers to our network with the instructions provided. Resident Consultants (ResCons) are available to provide individual assistance when necessary.
We strongly recommend that you use Microsoft Office, which includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint while on campus. Purchasing Microsoft Office rather than other word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software packages is strongly recommended because it is compatible with our public computers and is also used by faculty and administrators at the university.
Students must purchase their own copy of Microsoft Office for their personal computers - this software is not provided by the University.
99% of the computers at Scranton run the Windows operating system but a Macintosh computer will work on ResNet. Information on obtaining additional required software is on the ResNet web page. Support for Macintosh computers is limited.