Information Technology Services
The Crown College Information Technology Services department (or, alternatively IT) is here to assist students, staff and faculty as they pursue the mission of the college.
We’re here to answer questions, fix problems and help the college community make the best possible use of our technology resources. We’re also always on the lookout for new technologies that will further the goals of the college.
Contact us:
What exactly do we do in Information Technology? Our responsibilities include:
answering technology-related questions
solving technology-related problems, big and small
maintaining the computer labs and other public-access computers
service and upkeep of the technology used in classrooms
maintaining the campus network, both the wired and wireless portions of the network, and telephone systems
managing the voice mail and email systems
The technology we work with includes, but is not limited to:
computers (laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones)
printers and copiers
phone and voicemail systems
fax machines
projectors, monitors, DVD players and other classroom technology
Generally, if it is a campus technology issue, we can help.
Note: The Information Technology department does limit its activities to college-owned equipment, as much as possible. Though we may be able to provide some technical support over the phone for students, faculty or staff having problems with their own computers or technology, we are unable to work directly with those computers or hardware. We can give advice, but unless it is owned by the college, we can’t provide in-depth hardware support.
We Can Help
Technology Questions?
Bringing a Computer
Below are some recommendations to consider when choosing a computer to bring to campus:
- The Information Technology department will provide limited telephone-based technical support to students with personal computers in the residence halls. However, support can only be offered if the computer meets the minimum specifications listed below. We may be able to provide support for operating systems other than those listed, but the department officially supports only those listed.
- Students are responsible to have wireless access from their computer to the available wireless network on the campus. The wireless network covers residence halls, classrooms internal public areas, and some external areas. Wired connections are not available in student dorm rooms, except for Resident Assistant rooms.
- In a large residential network, computer maintenance and protection are always a necessity. Viruses and malware can spread quickly between computers in the residential network. All students will be required to own and maintain working anti-virus and anti-malware programs on their computers as well as keep their computers and other network-connected devices fully patched with the latest updates from the computer or device vendors.
Minimum Specifications
The minimum requirements for your computer operating system are Windows 7 or newer for PCs, or Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or newer for Apple computers.
If you have an older operating system and are considering upgrading:
- Crown College does not provide assistance for upgrading personal computers. If you do not have the ability to upgrade, we recommend seeking assistance from a trusted friend, or to purchase the upgrade service in a retail setting.
- For Windows, Microsoft provides tools to check if your system is compatible with the currently generally available supported versions.
If you decide to upgrade, you can find Microsoft Windows software for Crown students at a discounted price through the “On The Hub” web store. The helpdesk tab on the our.crown.edu website has a login link for your convenience (requires login).
We recommend using Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome to access Crown’s web services. For browser compatibility with Canvas LMS, please go to help.instructure.com.
You will need Microsoft Office 2013 or newer for Windows computers, or 2011 or newer for Apple computers. Microsoft Office software is available for Crown students at a discounted price at the helpdesk tab on the https://our.crown.edu website. Microsoft Office Software is purchased from Microsoft and is an agreement between Microsoft and the student. Crown can offer a discount, but is not involved in the purchase.
Email Accounts
Every student at Crown is given an email account. The username and password are issued to each student when they register for courses. Student emails are housed on Microsoft’s Office365 email services portal.
Access by going to https://email.crown.edu.
Technology Licenses
Crown College licenses a number of software applications for use by our students. Some are available only while a current student; others are licensed in such a way that after graduating from Crown College, the license becomes perpetual and the student is allowed to retain the program indefinitely.
Microsoft Office Professional: The full version of Microsoft Office Professional is licensed for student use in the labs. Both the PC and Macintosh editions are covered by this license. Students are allowed to install one copy of the program on one of their own computer(s).
The Microsoft Office Suite is available at a discounted price through the “On The Hub” web store. The helpdesk tab on the our.crown.edu website has a login link for your convenience (requires login). We highly recommend the purchase of the CD or USB to provide a backup to the provided download.
Note that the Software key will be emailed to your Crown email address upon purchase, please record it elsewhere for safekeeping.
Internet Access
Crown provides high-speed access to the Internet. The Internet is available from any part of the Crown College network — from dorms, labs, classrooms, and offices, as well as over the wireless network where it is available.
Because this connection must be shared by a large community, some restrictions must be instated to maintain the usefulness of the connection:
- Peer-to-peer (P2P) networking is strongly discouraged. The downloading of copyrighted materials (such as music and movies) without permission is theft and Crown College does not condone or accept such activities. Peer-to-peer networking also tends to severely tax the networks it runs over. To prevent problems, the IT department regulates the types of traffic that travel through our Internet link, and peer-to-peer network traffic is severely limited.
- Crown College utilizes a product to monitor and filter access to pornographic, adult content, and other sites. The pornography industry is thriving in the new Internet economy. Often, adult sites are disguised to “trap” Internet users who inadvertently click on a seemingly innocuous link or mistype a URL. The filtering product protects our community from these adult-industry tricks. Crown College recognizes that pornography can also be a dangerous trap. The filter provides a measure of accountability as well, by logging Internet activity.
- Streaming audio and video can be very bandwidth-intensive. We ask that students be courteous and mindful of the fact that the Crown College Internet connection is a shared resource and therefore to make responsible use of these technologies.
Wireless Internet
The main building and all residence halls are now covered by our campus-wide wireless network. Personal wireless routers, hotspots, or wireless tethering are prohibited, as they interfere with the college’s system. If you are using a personal printer with wireless access please use channel 11 for the setup.
The wireless network is comprised of a large quantity of 802.11g wireless access points arranged around the campus. Any computer equipped with a wireless network card capable of communicating using the 802.11b or 802.11g standards (including 802.11n devices, which function on the 802.11g system) will be able to connect to the wireless network.
We are also working to build 802.11ac access into the network.
Campus Access Printers
A number of printers are available for student use on campus. The computer labs are equipped with high-capacity, black-and-white printers and the PC lab has a color printer/copier for student use. Printing is tracked through software and students are allowed to print a preset amount per semester. Printing beyond that limit can be purchased at the time of need by contacting the IT department.
Please contact our helpdesk for the semester limits and per-page costs.
Network File Storage
Crown maintains a file server for student use. This server is accessible from anywhere on campus. Each student is granted 50 MB of storage on the server.
The use of this network drive is strongly recommended as it allows for easy access to documents and information from virtually anywhere on campus. Data on the student server is also backed up nightly, preventing accidental loss of information. Since Lab, Classroom, and other publicly available systems are actively managed by our network staff and subject to re-installation and updates, no storage of any data, software, or personal settings is permitted on any of these systems. All information on any of these devices is subject to deletion at any time, and cannot be recovered.
Help Desk
Current students, staff or faculty with technology issues can contact the Help Desk by phone at 952-446-4357, by email at helpdesk@crown.edu, or log-in to our.crown.edu and click on the helpdesk tab to access news, updates, resources, and links to other sites.
