Lab Access

- Only students, faculty, and staff. University of Houston-Downtown students, faculty and staff are eligible to use academic computing facilities and resources. Access will not be granted to others without approval by the Manager of Student Technology Services.

- Must present a valid UHD ID card. Lab access will not be granted to students, faculty, or staff without presenting valid UHD identification.

- Be responsible and courteous.

- Parents discouraged from bringing children. Parents must take the responsibility for the supervision and control of any child who accompanies them to a lab. A parent must never leave a child unattended. Any child who is disruptive to other students or causes damage to any of the equipment will be asked to leave (along with his/her parent).

- No smoking, eating, or drinking. Drink and food containers, whether empty or sealed, will not be allowed in the lab. Please cooperate and place these items in a backpack or book bag rather than on tables or on the floor.

- No cellular phone usage. Cell phones must be turned off or turned to vibrate or silent setting while you are using the lab. Calls should not be initiated or answered in the lab. Please step to the hallway when using a cell phone.

- Minimize noise. Please be respectful of computer lab users by minimizing noise or excessive talking in the Academic Computing Lab. Noise caused by loud conversations, personal audio devices, programs that make sounds, etc. should not be used.

- University purposes only. All university issued accounts are intended solely for university related purposes. They are not to be used for business or other profit producing endeavors or for recreational purposes.

- No games. Games are prohibited on all academic computing resources. (This restriction does not apply to games and simulations used in conjunction with academic courses or research. The Manager of Student Technology Services must receive written notice from the instructor of record in advance of such use.) Any student running a game on the computer will be asked to close the game and leave the lab. Be considerate of others who need to do class assignments, and adhere to these policies.

- PC configurations are strictly controlled. Students are not allowed to install any software on the hard drive of lab computers or network or alter any existing software.

- Headphones. Headphones are available on some computers in the S800 and C300 computer labs. In addition, students are welcome to use their own headphones, including personal media device headphones.

- Checking out manuals. Manuals may be checked out for use in the lab only. Documentation for some programs can be found in the ACL. Most application programs have comprehensive help facilities that serve as documentation. The lab assistant on duty may be able to provide assistance with programs commonly used in the lab.

- Checking out laptops. Students may check out a laptop for use on campus. Laptops are available in S800, C300 and B200. Please see "Laptop checkout program" for more information

- Do not use the lab phone. The telephone is not a courtesy telephone. It is used for the lab assistant to communicate with the lab supervisor. Lab users are not to receive calls in the lab.

- Report malfunctions. Users should not attempt to repair any malfunctioning equipment or software, but should report any such occurrences to academic computing personnel.

- Do not save files onto computers. Users are not allowed to save documents or files on the Academic Computing Lab PCs. In fact, if you save your work to a lab computer’s hard drive or desktop, the data will be lost when the computer is restarted. Users must provide their own media (USB drive, for example) on which they may save and access their data. Floppy drives, CD burners and USB drive ports are available on all computers.

- Server storage space. Each student has 20 MB of storage area on the Linux server. You can use this area to store files like MS Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, etc. Documentation on how to access this storage space is available in the ACL.

- Computer time limit. During times of heavy usage, the computer lab manager may institute a two-hour time limit on workstation sessions in the Academic Computing Labs. If at the end of a two-hour session there is no one waiting to use a workstation, the student may continue to work there until such time as a demand for the workstations arises.

If items have been left at a workstation, but no one has been there for more than 15 minutes, those items will be moved to the check-in desk so the workstation can be free for the next student to use.

- Print Account. Each student who is registered for classes at UHD has a 500 sheet (black-and-white printing) print account credit that can be used to cover printing costs in the ACL. Printed materials must be for academic purposes only. If the print credit account becomes depleted, students can purchase additional printing credit through the use of a cash machine in the S800 lab or through the University cashier’s office.

Lab Security

Compromising the security of any computer or network, and/or using university computing resources to engage in any illegal activity is strictly prohibited. Any changes to student accounts or access to any system must be requested by the responsible faculty member.

- Use only your own account. Computing accounts are for use only by the person to whom the account has been issued by authorized computing personnel.

- Do not disclose your information. A user may not disclose his/her password or allow other users to access his/her account.

- Report suspicious activity. Each user is fully responsible for the activity of any account that has been assigned to him/her. If a user suspects that his/her account has been accessed by another user, the Manager of Student Technology Services should be notified immediately.

- Users shall not represent themselves electronically as others.

- No hacking. Users shall not by any means attempt to infiltrate a computing system or network either on the UHD campus or elsewhere.

- Users shall not by any means attempt to infiltrate a computing system or network either on the UHD campus or elsewhere.

- Regulated external access. All users of UHD external network connections shall comply with the evolving "Acceptable Use" policies established by the external networks' governing bodies.

Illegal Activities

- Users may not write, use or have possession of programs that may be used to intimidate, harass, or create an offensive environment for or invade the privacy of other users.

- Users shall not obstruct or disrupt the use of any computing system or network by another person or entity either on the UHD campus or elsewhere.

- No copying software. Copying of copyrighted software is illegal and is prohibited in the academic computing facilities or elsewhere on campus.

- Penalties may be imposed under one or more of the following: University of Houston-Downtown policies and regulations, Texas law, or the laws of the United States. Minor infractions are handled via formal procedures. In some situations, it may be necessary to suspend account privileges to prevent ongoing misuse while the situation is under investigation.

In the event of an emergency, such as fire alarm, the lab assistants will clear the lab immediately. Lab users should pick up any personal belongings, immediately leave the lab and proceed to the nearest stairwell to wait for further instructions from the University police.

Because of the necessity of exiting the lab quickly in case of an emergency, users should, as a matter of routine, save their work frequently on media that they provide.  When the computers are restarted, your work will be gone, because the computers always restart in a standard state that does not include user files.

- Technical support. The staff of the Academic Computing Lab will provide basic technical support to users. They will ensure that all computers and printers remain functional. During extended Lab hours technical support is not provided.

- No homework questions. ACL staff are not permitted to assist users with specific homework questions.

- No course-specific software troubleshooting. ACL staff do not provide course-specific software support. The lab assistants are not trained to debug programs, analyze output, help with homework, etc. Please consult your professor for this type of help.

Removal of Uncooperative Students

All lab shift supervisors have the authority to remove a student from the facility and/or report any student for non-compliance to any rules stated above. Campus Police will be called if a student refuses to vacate the premises. The Dean of Student Affairs will be notified of the incident. The student will automatically have the privilege of discussing his or her case with the ACL management staff.

Lab Liability

Do not leave any of your personal belongings unattended. The lab is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Although Academic Computing Lab staff will make efforts to provide a safe and problem-free computing environment, in no event will the University, the Division of Information Technology or the Academic Computing Lab be liable for loss of data, inconvenience or other tangible or perceived damage resulting from or relating to system failures, viruses, user negligence, or other occurrences.

Amendment of Rules

Academic Computing reserves the right to amend these rules at any time, giving seven days notice before the amendments are to take effect.

Violation of Rules

Use of academic computing accounts and resources in violation of these rules, UHD policy, or any federal, state, or local laws may result in revocation of the individual's account privileges or suspension of access to computing resources, and may subject the account holder to university disciplinary action and/or criminal prosecution.

Examples of Misuse of Computing Resources or User Accounts

•  Using a computer account that you are not authorized to use. Obtaining a password for or gaining access to a computer account or directory which has not been assigned to you by authorized computing personnel.

•  Using the campus network to gain unauthorized access to any computer system.

•  Knowingly performing an act which will interfere with the normal operation of computers, terminals, peripherals, or networks.

•  Knowingly using a program intended to damage or place excessive load on another user, a computer system or network. This includes, but is not limited to, programs known as computer viruses, Trojan horses, and worms.

•  Attempting to circumvent data protection schemes or uncover security loopholes.

•  Violating terms of applicable software licensing agreements or copyright laws.

•  Deliberately wasting computing resources (i.e. playing computer games, visiting non-academic web sites, etc.).

•  Using electronic mail or other means to harass others.

•  Masking the identity of an account or machine.

•  Posting on electronic bulletin boards materials that violate existing laws or University policies.

•  Attempting to monitor or tamper with another user's electronic communications, or reading, copying, changing, or deleting another user's files or software without the explicit agreement of the owner.

•  Causing the display of false system messages.

•  Maliciously causing system slow-downs or rendering systems inoperable.

•  Changing, removing or destroying any data stored electronically without proper authorization, or attempting the same.

•  Gaining or attempting to gain access to accounts without proper authorization.

•  Making copies of copyrighted or licensed software.

•  Using university computers for unauthorized private or commercial purposes.

Activities will not be considered misuse when authorized by appropriate university computing officials for security or performance testing.