Students are not required to have a computer, but Westminster recommends that students bring a laptop to campus. Academic work will require the use of information resources, and e-mail is an official means of communication with students. A laptop provides benefits in coursework and academic research as well as in its role as a tool for communication and discussion with faculty and fellow students. In addition to the advantage it has over a desktop computer in conserving limited space in student rooms, its portability allows it to be used in a variety of locations including classrooms and labs, the libraries, the campus center, and other venues throughout campus. Another important benefit in having a laptop is the opportunity it offers to take advantage of wireless connectivity that is present in all academic and residential buildings.

 

Westminster's Microsoft and Cisco based campus network, named TitanNet, exists to support the academic mission of the College. It is a single network connecting all academic buildings and residence halls, with a link to the Internet via wired or wireless. Access to the network is a privilege provided to students. It is the responsibility of each individual student to use the network responsibly in accordance with the College's Policy for Responsible Use of Information Resources. Every student is given an account on the network with personal disk space for storage of files and an email account available on- and off-campus, access to grades, course schedules and online scheduling of courses. Electronic folders along with the college Learning Management System are used to submit assignments and collaborate with other students and faculty. In addition to these resources of the network being available from public computer labs, private departmental labs, libraries, and other academic areas, each student in a residence hall is provided a data port in their room for connecting their own computer to TitanNet. These ports provide access to the Internet as well as other services of the network. The college also has wireless access throughout the college for students to connect their devices that support the WPA2 protocol.

 

It is the student's responsibility to bring a computer to campus that meets Westminster's requirements. It is also the student's responsibility to provide all support for the computer including having the computer configured to connect to the campus network. If there are any network problems we will determine whether or not the issue is on the college end or an issue a student will have to resolve. If the problem is not with college resources, we encourage students to use their devices standard warranty to get assistance with the problem.

 

Critical for successful connection and operation of your PC on TitanNet is to avoid having extraneous software applications on the computer. Spyware and peer-to-peer applications frequently cause conflicts on networked PCs. Take appropriate steps to keep these types of applications off your computer.

 

Requirements and recommendations for student machines that connect to the campus network include the following:

 

 

• Every computer must have updated antivirus software. The college uses Symantec (Norton) antivirus; however, students can connect using other antivirus programs such as McAfee, AVG and ClamAV.  The college also recommends downloading Malwarebytes in addition to antivirus for extra protection.
• The College uses Windows and Apple based computers in classrooms, labs, offices and other academic areas. Students can attempt to connect to the network (and in the past have connected) with any of the following operating systems:
  
  • Windows 7 service pack 1
  • Windows 8
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 10
  • Linux
  • Mac OS X
• The College has Office 365 available for students at no charge.  It can be accessed by going to the following link https://login.microsoftonline.com

 

The college does not offer specially configured laptop models. However, Westminster use Dell and Apple computers in our offices and labs, and students can go to the special website http://www.dell.com/westminster to purchase laptops from Dell at a discounted cost. These purchase transactions are strictly between Dell and students. The College receives no remuneration from these purchases; this opportunity is provided only as a service to the campus community.

 

Westminster recommends the following as minimum requirements for student computers:

• Wireless must support WPA2
• Intel Core I5 Processor
• 4 GB RAM
• 120 GB Hard Drive
• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Up-to-date antivirus software (required)
• 4 year warranty for hardware repairs 

For students who are looking for a little assistance in selecting hardware to purchase, the College uses the Dell and Apple notebook models with the following configurations:

• Latitude 14 5000 Series (E5470) (Hardware specifications):
  14.0 inch screen, Intel Core i5-6440HQ Quad Core processor, 8 GB RAM 1 DIMM, 2 GB video card, 256 GB solid state hard drive, Intel wireless card AC + Bluetooth 4.1
  
  

• MacBook Pro 13-inch (Hardware specifications): 
  13.0 inch screen, Intel Core i5-Dual Core processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB solid state hard drive, wireless card AC + Bluetooth 4.0

 

 

Questions about student computer requirements or recommendations can be directed to Stanton Fleming Director of User Services, 724-946-7282.

 

Students living off-campus who have an Internet connection can access Westminster e-mail and numerous other campus resources from the College website at http://my.westminster.edu.