Technical Orientation

Technology Orientation

Academic Information Systems and Technology Services would like to welcome all incoming students to Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and offer this web page to help you familiarize yourselves with the basic procedures to make the most of the resources and services that are available to you.

General Interest (link each to below area…)
Everything you need to know about E-mail
Computer Hardware
Software
Computer Labs and Computer Support
Telephone and Cable Television Service

General Interest

A few points to keep in mind:

  • Technology Accounts are automatically created for all incoming students and remain open until you graduate or otherwise leave the University. If you enrolled late or are a transfer student, you may need to request an account:

    • SPHTM should go to the 12th floor of the Tidewater building

    • Uptown Campus students should go to room 108 in the Richardson building

    • University College students should see the receptionist at their primary class location

    • HSC students should go to the Medical Library

  • Many of the professors will be using an electronic course management system called Blackboard. The professors will create the Blackboard accounts for you if they choose to utilize the Blackboard system. As soon as classes begin, you will be able to start using yourBlackboard account as assigned to you by your professors. Watch the Blackboard Tutorial. (Approximately 7 minutes, Latest Version of Shockwave Flash Required)

  • All residence halls have ethernet connections which you can use to connect to the Internet. A modem is unnecessary if you live on campus.

  • Before purchasing a computer, know the setup of your residence hall. Laptops are best suited for the desks in Sharp and Monroe Halls, as the built in desks only allow room for a 15 inch monitor. Learn about the individual Residence Halls.

  • Tulane is in the process of installing the Wireless Network. You might want to get a wireless card to use in combination with your Ethernet card, to meet your mobile computing needs. Wireless cards will be on sale during Orientation weekend on the uptown campus, and Technology Services staff will be available to help with installation.

  • The Studentweb is a student operated web server. You can use your Technology Account to establish a web page on the Studentweb.

  • You may hear people mention the RS/6000. RS/6000 is the name of the main server cluster at Tulane, and access is gained with your Technology Account. For a full explanation of what the RS/6000 is, click here.

  • Important information regarding Peer-to-peer File Sharing

Everything you need to know about e-mail

Computer Hardware

  • Computer Concierge
    Assistance selecting and purchasing Tulane-recommended hardware systems is available from our Computer Concierge. The staff at the Concierge can assist you with computers that are:

    • Reliable and work well with Tulane’s systems and network

    • Pre-loaded with Tulane’s virus protection software and support information

    • Available at an academic discount

    • The Concierge also offers computer accessories, replacement parts, and peripherals including wireless cards and PDA devices. For more information, please contact the Concierge directly:

  • Computer Recommendations

  • Tulane Online Marketplace- cell phones, textbooks, bank accounts, clothing, gifts and more!

Software

Tulane offers numerous software packages to students, faculty, and staff. Some software is available at an academic discount, and some is available free of charge. Please visit our Software Site, which includes e-mail clients, statistical packages, file transfer software, firewalls, etc. or go directly to one of the most popular items:

Microsoft Student Select
Tulane University is a member of the Microsoft Student Select program. Through this program, students may purchase popular Microsoft software, including the latest versions of Office and Windows directly from Software House International. The following Microsoft products are available:

  • Office XP Professional for Windows

  • Office v. X for Macintosh

  • Windows XP Professional for Windows

Virus Protection Software
Tulane offers virus protection software free of charge to all students- all you have to do is request a copy of the software and set it to automatically update. Viruses can spread quickly on campus, so do your part to keep your computer safe.

For more information, contact Corliss Thornton at 314-2556 or software@tulane.edu.Computer Labs and Computer Support

Computer Labs

  • A scanner is available for students to use, free of charge, in the Richardson Lab on the uptown campus.

  • Each student has a printing allowance of $25. Black and white printouts are 10¢, color printouts are 70¢

  • Printing in excess of $25 is billed through a debit system using the student id card

Main computer labs:

  • Tidewater Labs – 12th floor – Room 1216, 1218, 1220

  • Medical School Lab – Medical School – 1st Floor

For complete information on the computer labs, please visit the Computer Lab Home Page. (link to Computer Labs)

Computer Support
You will find a wealth of information on our web site, as well as 7 full time analysts at the Help Desk that are available to assist you on the telephone, as well as a staff of on-site technicians. When calling the Help Desk, please have as much information as possible about your computer handy- such as the operating system, (Windows XP, Mac OS X), and have the computer on, if possible. Please don't hesitate to call the Help Desk for all of your computer problems, no matter how mundane or catastrophic.

  • Telephone: 7am-7pm Monday through Thursday, and 7am-5pm Friday on campus dial 8888, off campus dial 862-8888

  • E-mail: info@tulane.edu

  • Walk-up: general questions and laptop support in Richardson Building room 108 or in the Medical School, room 1555.

Telephone and Cable Television Service

Local and long-distance telephone services are offered through the Office of Telecommunications. There is no charge for local service. Students should provide their own single line, analog, touch-tone telephones. Additional features such as call waiting, caller id, and private voice-mail accounts are available for a small monthly fee and billed through accounts receivable. Students should provide their own caller id box. Domestic long distance calls are 10 cents per minute. Individual long distance codes are assigned to each student. For more information on the services available, including international long-distance rates, please call 504-865-5206 or 800-529-4330. To subscribe to call waiting, caller id, voice mail, and receive a long distance code, please use the following form: Telephone Service Request, Transfer and Cancellation Form. The form is not necessary if you will only be using the local telephone service.

The TUCAN Cable Television Network is accessible in all residence halls. Students need to provide a standard coaxial cable (also called an RF cable) and program the channels. 14 foot co-ax cables and co-ax barrels (for joining two lengths of cable together) will be available for purchase during Orientation, for $5 and $1, respectively.