Technical Note - Laboratory Access and Rules

Summary

ECS operates several laboratories throughout the Cotton building. This document lists the access restrictions and rules to be adhered when using these facilities.

Details

Access

All laboratories are accessible after-hours with card access.

Laboratory	Facilities	Access hours
CO237, CO238, CO239, CO243	UNIX systems, ECS undergraduate labs	Weekdays: 7AM - 7PM
CO431	Mac lab	Weekdays: 7AM - 7PM
CO535	Statistical computing lab	Weekdays: 7AM - 7PM

Access cards

Student ID cards function as access cards. Setting up the access card should happen automatically; if you find that you do not have access where you believe you should, talk to Campus Security on the ground floor of the Cotton Building.

Building access

After 7PM on weekdays and throughout Saturday and Sunday, all access into and out of the Cotton Building is via the door on the west side of the building (near the security office). After 11PM on weekdays, after 12:30PM on Saturday and all-day Sunday, the building is locked and requires card access. Your Student ID card should be set up to give you access after hours.

When leaving a laboratory during the after-hours periods, make certain that you have your access card with you. You will need it to re-enter the laboratory. It would also be wise to take any valuables with you unless you are able to leave them with a trusted friend.

Rules

The University has a number of policies and statutes that define appropriate student behaviour such as the Information Systems Statute and the Statute on Student Conduct.

The laboratories of the School of Engineering and Computer Science are provided to enable students to complete work for their courses. This work includes both assigned tasks and research in support of your course work.

There are social spaces on levels one, two and three, all with wireless network access. These spaces are appropriate for both university work and social activities.

The following rules are intended to minimise the disruption for students using the ECS labs.

1. Lab users must identify themselves when requested to do so by a member of the University’s staff.
2. All users must currently be enrolled in a course offered by the school.
3. Computer users must not use others’ accounts or knowingly allow other users to use their accounts.
4. Lab users with ECS coursework to complete have priority over other lab users. As a privilege, users may also use computers, but not printers, for personal or non-ECS University work activities.
5. Lab users must not attempt to subvert laboratory security. Running password cracking or network snooping programs counts as evidence of such an attempt.
6. Users must not interfere with computer or instrument hardware except as part of an organised laboratory or experiment.
   • do not unplug cables
   • do not try to clear paper jams in printers yourself. (Send a message to printers@ecs.vuw.ac.nz.)
   • do not switch off any machines
7. Locking the display of a computer is permitted and is encouraged during brief absences from the laboratory. However, lab users are not allowed to lock a machine for a longer period (e.g. a class) as a way of reserving that computer.
8. There will be no eating or drinking inside the labs except in designated areas. Currently this is only the couches in Co232. There are numerous areas outside the laboratories on levels two and three of Cotton for social activities.
9. Users may not distract others who are doing coursework. Examples include:
   • Excessive, loud or offensive talking. Collaboration is encouraged but where a conversation is clearly going to become substantial please move to a social area in the corridors.
   • Playing of audio from computers, iPods, etc. shall be through head phones and will be at a volume that is not audible to other users.
   • There will be no playing of games in the labs.
   • On entering a lab please turn your mobile phone to meeting mode (vibrate) and answer calls outside of the lab.
10. The Information Systems Statute prohibits users from:
    • perpetrating fraud or harassment by email or similar means
    • obtaining offensive material over the network
    • incurring unauthorised network costs.
    • accessing computer accounts belonging to others, or allow others to access your account(s).
11. The Statute on Student Conduct strictly prohibits any offensive behaviour or harassment.

Clarifications

If you are unsure about any of these rules, ask a staff member first.

Protect your access to the labs

If someone is violating the rules, not only does it jeopardise their access, but also your own, and may result in lab access times being reduced or other measures taken. Protect your access and report violations to conduct@ecs.vuw.ac.nz, or contact a member of staff. You may also make a complaint by following the procedures in Sections 4.3 and 4.4 of the university's Statute on Student Conduct.