Technology

Student Technology Center

Provides support to all students to enhance their technological literacy. You can receive technology mentoring, participate in the equipment loan program, attend a custom workshop or use professional software for your next class project.

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Printing On Campus Using wepa

Conveniently print your documents on the go using any wepa print station across campus.

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Helpdesk

The mission of the Helpdesk is to provide OU students with a single point of contact for all supported services and products. The Helpdesk helps all members of the OU community connect to internet resources and utilize Oakland’s email system. They also answer general technology questions. The Helpdesk will only work on Oakland University-owned computers, but will assist with connectivity and account issues on any computer.

• You can reach the Helpdesk at (248) 370-HELP (4357) or helpdesk@oakland.edu.
• Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The Helpdesk is located on the main floor of Kresge Library in Room 202.

Special note for residence hall students: If you live in the residence halls or student apartments and are having trouble connecting to the network, contact the Residence Hall Network Help desk at (248) 370-2534, wireless@oakland.edu or at Hamlin Hall, Room 445.

Connecting on Campus

It is recommended that students purchase laptops for use on the Oakland University wireless network. All students can connect to the Internet via GRIZZNET, a wireless network that spans multiple campus buildings and the residence halls. Residents of OU’s student apartments, Hamlin Hall and Vandenberg Hall are provided an Internet connection through wired and wireless networks. To use the wireless network on campus, students need to ensure their computers have wireless capabilities (802.11b, 802.11g or 802.11n). To connect to the wired network in the student apartments, computers must contain a network card and have a Cat5 Ethernet cable.

Wireless Networking

A map of where to find wireless networking connections on campus can be found through the more info button below.

Depending on your wireless network card’s settings, your computer may automatically join the wireless network. If not, check the SSID connection. You can do this by opening up the configuration utility that came with your wireless network card.

• If you are connecting to University Housing’s wireless network, you will be connecting to one of their “grizzlies” SSIDs and will have to register your device separately from the rest of campus. Contact the Residence Halls Network Helpdesk at (248) 370-2534 for assistance.
• If you are elsewhere on campus, your SSID should be grizznet (all lowercase).

Once connected, open up a web browser. You will be redirected to a login page. Enter your NetID and password and click “continue” to log on to GRIZZNET.

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Antivirus Software and Updates

It is your responsibility to maintain the security and patch level of your computer prior to connecting to the OU network and other university IT resources. You are strongly encouraged to invest in and install reliable antivirus software and keep virus definitions up-to-date. To ensure that your computer is always protected, configure your antivirus software to run automatically on start-up and run at all times. And remember, antivirus software is only as good as the frequency with which it is updated. Most antivirus software is easily updated online; configure your program to automatically search for and install updates. You should visit the Microsoft Windows Update page (click on the more info button below) weekly to ensure that your Windows updates are current and installed properly.

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Top 10 Things You Should Know about OU’s IT Policy

Your access to university resources comes with responsibilities. To keep our network safe, OU maintains a detailed computing policy that you must follow. This top 10 list provides only the highlights; read the full policy here.

1. Sharing and downloading movies, music, games and software that you don’t own and/or without permission of the owner is a violation of university policy, copyright law and federal law.
2. Important OU information will be delivered only to your OU email account.
3. Using email or any IT tool to harass, intimidate or bother someone is not acceptable. If someone asks you to stop, you must comply.
4. You are responsible for maintaining your computer.
5. That means you must install antivirus software, maintain system patches and use appropriate system protection, like a firewall.
6. Limited game playing on university computers is permitted as long as it does not disrupt or limit resources for others.
7. Sharing your IDs and passwords is not a good idea; you are responsible for what happens from your account. Sharing also puts you at risk of identity theft.
8. Using the Internet for research can be useful, but copying material from websites without properly citing your sources is plagiarism. As you surf for information, keep track of the sites you visit so you can properly cite the sources in your assignment.
9. Political campaigns, commercial advertising campaigns and personal businesses cannot be run using university computing resources.
10. Use of any device capable of broadcasting a wireless signal in any manner is prohibited in all residence halls and student apartments. Desktop hubs and switches are not permitted on the Oakland University network per University Policy #850.
11. Breaking the rules can result in a variety of consequences, depending on the offense. Consequences may include disconnection from the network or referral to the dean of students for appropriate judicial processing.

Remember, it is your responsibility to understand and follow the entire IT policy. Review it here.

What is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)?

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a federal law that was established in 1998. It criminalized the development or use of software that makes it possible for people to access materials that are copyright protected. The DMCA also makes it a criminal offense to distribute copyright protected materials. For additional information visit the U.S. Copyright Office Summary website.

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What is Copyright Infringement?

Copyright infringement occurs when a person copies someone else’s copyrighted items without obtaining his or her permission.

How Do I Avoid a Copyright Infringement Notice?

• DO NOT download or distribute whole copies of copyrighted material for personal use or entertainment without explicit permission from the copyright owner — it is against the law.
• DO NOT download copies of illegally distributed files to your own computer from file sharing applications. You should know that purchasing a music CD does not give you the right to distribute or share the songs on it.

Some common Internet piracy techniques are:

• Websites that make software available for free download or in exchange for others
• Internet auction sites that offer counterfeit or out-of-channel software
• Peer-to-peer networks that enable unauthorized transfer of copyrighted programs
• DO know that copyright law applies to materials that include but are not limited to: written works (eBooks, PDFs, or HTML pages); movies or television shows; music; pictures; and software in digital and analog format under copyright protection.
• DO know that it is the user’s responsibility to be aware of the legal consequences for copyright infringement. Lack of knowledge about copyright infringement laws does not excuse the user from legal consequences or from actions by Oakland University.

What if I receive a Copyright Violation Notice?

1. A copyright violation is a violation of Oakland University policy #890—Use of University Information Technology Resources.
2. A network block is placed to prevent the individual from logging onto the (wired and wireless) network. The network block remains in place until certain steps have been completed.
3. Notification is sent to the individual with instructions on what actions are needed to reinstate network access.
4. After the block is implemented, the student should only speak to the parties identified in the letter or to the dean of students.
5. Once the outlined steps have been completed, network access will be reinstated.

More information about the Oakland University policies for sharing and downloading music and movies can be found through the button below.

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