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The purpose of this policy is to outline the process by which Mount Holyoke College acquires, replaces, and disposes of computer equipment. This policy applies to all MHC faculty and staff regarding the purchase of all computer equipment issued by the College, regardless of the funding source. All computer equipment must be requested through LITS as it is considered College property and must be entered into the College's computer inventory database.
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Employee-assigned computers
Primary employee-assigned computers
Full-time faculty and staff, who are required to use a computer as part of their job responsibilities, are eligible for one base model primary employee-assigned computer. Computers assigned to users as their primary employee-assigned computer are provided and supported by LITS staff and covered under the 4-year computer replacement cycle. Computers for part-time and temporary staff, contractors, visiting faculty, and student workers will be furnished out of the LITS stock of repurposed computers and monitors, if available. If repurposed stock is not available, a computer will need to be purchased through LITS using department funding.
If requesting an upgraded computer model to be used as a primary employee-assigned computer, the upgrade charge needs to be paid for using supplemental funding, such as department, grant, or research funds. The upgrade charge is the total cost of the upgraded computer minus the cost of an equivalent base model computer. It is important to note that upgraded primary employee-assigned computers are included in the 4-year computer replacement cycle and supplemental funding is required to replace it with another upgraded computer. If supplemental funding has not been identified at the time of replacement, a base model computer will be provisioned.
To request a new or replacement computer, please submit a computer request in the AskLITS portal.
Extra employee-assigned computers
In addition to a primary employee-assigned computer, full-time faculty and staff may request an extra employee-assigned computer if necessary for their work. Extra employee-assigned computers are not funded by LITS and therefore require supplemental funding. The Dean of Faculty and Financial Services have mandated a limit of two total computers per employee purchased with College funding sources. Employees with an operational need for having more than two computers must gain approval through the Dean of Faculty (for faculty) or Financial Services (for staff).
Extra employee-assigned computer requests are evaluated by LITS for technical needs and supportability and in consultation with Officers, Deans or Department Chairs/Directors for operational considerations. The evaluation process considers operational needs, past precedents, available financial and support resources, and computing needs. Additional support services may need to be purchased with and extra employee-assigned computer if it does not fall into the support and repair scope of LITS technicians.
To request an extra-employee assigned computer, please submit a computer request in the AskLITS portal.
For more information about supported operating systems, review this article for macOS or this article for Windows OS.
Computer accessories
In addition to a primary employee-assigned computer, each eligible employee is provisioned one base model monitor, a wireless or wired keyboard and mouse, and any necessary cables and power supplies. Base model monitors are typically on an 8-year replacement cycle (every other primary computer replacement) or as needed. Wireless keyboards and mice can be replaced with each computer replacement or as needed. Additional computer accessories for either home or on-site offices require supplemental funding.
Computer accessories may be requested as part of an employee-assigned computer request or as a stand-alone computer accessory request.
For more information on computer accessories, visit our knowledge base article specifications for LITS-procured computer accessories.
Accessibility accommodations
Employees requesting an upgraded, extra computer, or non-base model accessories related to an accessibility accommodation must contact Human Resources. LITS will act on Human Resources’ recommendation. Additional costs associated with an accommodation will be covered by HR. To initiate the interactive process for a reasonable workplace accommodation with HR, submit a Reasonable Accommodation Request form.
Software maintenance
Employees agree to abide by the software update recommendations to keep their computer(s) up to date. This applies to primary and extra employee-assigned computers.
Support and repairs
Employee-assigned computers are fully supported by LITS and can be repaired as needed. LITS manages repairs and support with Dell and Apple.
If you have a hardware issue with your MHC-owned computer, submit a computer hardware support ticket.
Office moves
If an employee moves their office location, they should take their assigned computer(s) with them. Employees should also notify LITS when they are moving to a new location so that inventory records can be updated accordingly.
Additional information about what to do when you move offices.
Informally re-assigning computers
Employees may NOT re-distribute their employee-assigned computer to another employee during or at the end of their employment with MHC.
Per the College's Acceptable Use of Information Technology policy, an employee's primary and extra computer(s) MUST be returned to LITS if they no longer work for the College.
For more guidance related to employee departures, review the LITS Guide for departing faculty and staff.
An employee-assigned computer request needs to be submitted for any new employee(s) hired to fill a vacant position.
End-of-life for employee-assigned computers
Computers MUST be returned to LITS when: they are replaced with a new computer, the employee it is assigned to departs from the College, or any other case where the computer is not needed for its original purpose.
All reclaimed computers' data is securely erased as part of the reclaiming process - be sure to securely transfer your data from your old computer before returning it to LITS.
Reclaimed computers are evaluated for operating system compatibility and hardware issues; if the computer is unable to run a supported operating system, it will be marked as disposed and sent for e-recycling. Physical hard drives and SSDs are removed from the devices and shredded to ensure total security.
Computers that are able to run a supported operating system and are in good physical condition are sanitized, re-imaged, and added to the pool of re-purposed computers. Re-purposed computers are primarily used for student worker stations, part-time and temporary staff, or shared office computers. If the computer was originally purchased with non-LITS funding, the funding party has the right of first refusal if they want it back as a shared office computer.
Repurposed computers are not replaced on a rotation cycle; rather, they are permitted to be in-use as long as they can meet security standards (generally 1-2 years).
Repurposed computers should not be relied upon for critical tasks. If a critical need exists to add a new computer to the College’s standard rotating inventory, a request should be submitted to allocate a new machine.