Mac Lab a "Tightly-run Facility"
Gabbie Salley
Issue date: 2/23/10 Section: News
Allgood Hall's Mac Lab can be a difficult place for students to access.
Jasper Cooke, director of public safety, said that the Mac Lab is operated by the communications department. Public Safety collaborates with the department to ensure that the rules in place are adhered to. In order to gain access to the lab after hours, students must have their name on a list that is managed by the communications department.
Cooke said that these safety precautions are in place for several reasons.
"We're having a lot of problems with non-students getting access to our stuff," Cooke said.
Cooke said that alumni are often able to gain access to student amenities, as well as non-students. Non-students can access campus computers with a student's username and password. For this reason, public safety officers check each of the campus computer labs during the evening hours. Students are required to produce a valid JagCard if using a lab computer.
In addition, the Mac Lab is equipped with costly software for communications students, such as Adobe InDesign. The lab is particularly useful for students on the television and cinema or public relations tracks, according to Rick Pukis, a professor of communications.
"ITS (Information Technology Services) always says that's one of the nicest labs on campus," Pukis said.
Being equipped with this level of software, the Mac Lab requires higher levels of security than other labs. The computers in the lab are not physically attached to the room by security devices, nor are they equipped with LoJack, a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking device. However, the campus laptops do utilize this software because they are mobile computers.
Cooke said that he also believes that the Mac Lab's location poses a safety threat. In the event of a campus emergency, students in the Mac Lab would likely be unable to hear warnings from the first floor, and vice versa.
Cooke submitted a proposal in this school year's budget for a card reader for the Mac Lab. Allgood Hall's main computer lab, on the first floor, has a card reader. The communications department would still be able to control who does and does not have access to the lab. The reader is capable of being programmed to recognize certain students, such as those on the current Mac Lab access list. However, the expenditure was not approved for this year's budget.
If the lab is closed, students can access it if their name is on the access list. In order to do so, the student must call public safety at 706-737-1401. Public safety will check the list for the student's name, and will then send an officer to unlock the door.
Jasper Cooke, director of public safety, said that the Mac Lab is operated by the communications department. Public Safety collaborates with the department to ensure that the rules in place are adhered to. In order to gain access to the lab after hours, students must have their name on a list that is managed by the communications department.
Cooke said that these safety precautions are in place for several reasons.
"We're having a lot of problems with non-students getting access to our stuff," Cooke said.
Cooke said that alumni are often able to gain access to student amenities, as well as non-students. Non-students can access campus computers with a student's username and password. For this reason, public safety officers check each of the campus computer labs during the evening hours. Students are required to produce a valid JagCard if using a lab computer.
In addition, the Mac Lab is equipped with costly software for communications students, such as Adobe InDesign. The lab is particularly useful for students on the television and cinema or public relations tracks, according to Rick Pukis, a professor of communications.
"ITS (Information Technology Services) always says that's one of the nicest labs on campus," Pukis said.
Being equipped with this level of software, the Mac Lab requires higher levels of security than other labs. The computers in the lab are not physically attached to the room by security devices, nor are they equipped with LoJack, a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking device. However, the campus laptops do utilize this software because they are mobile computers.
Cooke said that he also believes that the Mac Lab's location poses a safety threat. In the event of a campus emergency, students in the Mac Lab would likely be unable to hear warnings from the first floor, and vice versa.
Cooke submitted a proposal in this school year's budget for a card reader for the Mac Lab. Allgood Hall's main computer lab, on the first floor, has a card reader. The communications department would still be able to control who does and does not have access to the lab. The reader is capable of being programmed to recognize certain students, such as those on the current Mac Lab access list. However, the expenditure was not approved for this year's budget.
If the lab is closed, students can access it if their name is on the access list. In order to do so, the student must call public safety at 706-737-1401. Public safety will check the list for the student's name, and will then send an officer to unlock the door.
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