College students need to grow up

[Cedophile]

Ahh I've got a couple of awfully annoying things that students do in the computer lab on a regular basis. It's been a while since I've worked at my college computer lab (1-year hiatus from school), but I expect to see more of this when I return.

Here's how things work in the lab: When you first come in, you show me your ID card, you go to a computer and watch a 10-minute tops PowerPoint presentation showing the rules of the lab, and sign a couple of forms to the effect of, "I agree with that presentation I just watched," or you don't sign and you don't bother the lab with your presence ever again.

The stand-out rules are as follows (as they apply to the computers): Do not watch videos, do not play music, do not play games, and keep the cell phone SILENT and do not speak on it while in the lab.

Every day, every hour we would get someone who doesn't care about what they signed. My favorite one was about 3 years ago. Some guy with a steel fetish was on a computer in the corner of the lab, where it's kind of hard to see the screen. I walked by and watched as he played Chess on Yahoo. I told him, no games in the lab. He says ok.

Repeat 4 times.

I'm pissed. I get my supervisor, and even he tells him twice. We finally threw him out of the lab for the day.

For people who do this often, we ban them. This doesn't happen often, but I've got a couple of people in memory who we've banned.

[Kiwi]

Wow thats tolerant

Our university gave you one chance, you got one warning and that was it. We could play music on headphones (as long as the person next to you couldnt hear it) but no games, it was supposed to be university related work at all times during peak hours.

3 day ban the first offence,7 day ban the second, semester long ban the third offence. That was from any computer lab in the entire uni to. To get unbanned you had to personally go see the head IT guy and explain why (in writing) you should be unbanned.

How did I learn this... I was waiting in line to reload my internet account when the girl in front of me threw a tantrum over being banned (semester long) for trying to download limewire onto the H drive of the labs computer... took a full 30 seconds for me to pick my jaw up from the floor

[Sofar]

Which one's the H-drive?

[Kiwi]

it was a drive that was linked to each persons account, that I could access on every single computer at uni (we had over 30 labs, huge uni that it was) so we could save documents, graphics etc.

[Cedophile]

Our university gave you one chance, you got one warning and that was it.

My school had a similar "official" stance, but usually we just said stop and they stopped. We didn't have enough experience in the area of banning to really step up. Usually we also knew these people, too, (small college) so we weren't willing to lay it down on them.

Basically there are only a few people who we know are serious problems, and we only really pay attention to them (the rest aren't worth the hassle).

But now I've been on my vacation, new students are coming in, and I'm old enough where I won't take your anymore. BRING IT ON! I'll put you in your place:

muahahaha

[Depot Denizen]

At UVM, we have the Z-drive for all students, and then M-drive and sometimes Q-drive for math/eng students.

[amphrite]

... sometimes Q-drive for math/eng students.

When you teach them how to use it, is it Q-ED?

[Giggle Goose]

Grrr I really hate it when the kids at my school talk on their phones in the computer lab. There's nothing more annoying than working on an assignment in silence and then hearing some dumb musical ringtone blasting at top volume and hearing someone go: "WHAT'S UP???!!! YEAH, I'M AT THE COMPUTER LAB!!!!" And then they get mad when they get their asses thrown out

[Gurndigarn]

When you teach them how to use it, is it Q-ED?

(this portion added to make the message long enough for the system.)

[draftermatt]

In the engineering lab there was an aide that the head of the department didn't know about. She would throw us all out when she left (which she couldn't do as the lab was to be open till 10 (she left at 5), so we would just come back. I went off her and complained that stopped that.)

But she would yell at us for being on our cell phones, then take a 30 minute call.

Sorry for the rant, but I wish my lab had had people like you, where they actaully knew the rules.

[protege]

My college had a similar policy. However, it also included "no porn" in there too. That didn't stop some people though. Warning them didn't work much either--they'd just leave, and come back later. However, we could nail them on it--each machine would keep a log of the users. Since those were all timestampped, all it took was a simple email to one of the supervisors...who promptly blocked their access. Imagine their surprise when they couldn't get their term paper done

Then there were the million or so floppies I'd managed to collect over 3 years of working in the lab. I'd find them in various places--the couches in the lab, sitting on various tables, near the machines, etc. If they were truly lost, I'd put them aside for someone to claim. Usually, nobody claimed them.

Also annoying were some of the exchange students. Some of them were pretty damn nice. However, the pair of Russian students in '98 sticks out. They were among the rudest bastards I've ever encountered. Not only did they install a bunch of programs on a few machines (some engineering software, and other crap...which isn't allowed), they managed to trash one of the machines totally. They'd set the language to Russian...and there was no way to set it back, without completely reinstalling Windows! Apparently, they downloaded a patch off the 'net somewhere, and literally screwed the machine up enough, that nobody else could use it. When called on it, by various people, they went to the college president and complained.

Not all of them stuck around though--one of them got busted for kiddie porn and thrown out of school.

[Cedophile]

However, we could nail them on it--each machine would keep a log of the users.

NICE! I'm gonna suggest this to my lab when I get back. A log could really help. Oh wait, we still don't have individual logins. Heard they were going to get to that eventually, though. Must be something I can throw together in Visual Basic.... on the honor system....

Then there were the million or so floppies I'd managed to collect over 3 years of working in the lab.

Floppies were great. When I got bored I'd rainbow-code them. It was a delight when a student asked me, "Did you find a black disk (with no label on it)?". I pull out a pile of 50 blackies and tell him/her to start digging.

Not all of them stuck around though--one of them got busted for kiddie porn and thrown out of school.

Now that's gold. It's my dream to one day bust a student for some high crime like that.

[Barefootgirl]

When I was at uni, my college had precisely seven computers. They lived in a locked computer room in the basement of one of the staircases (you had to get the code for the lock from the porter). I never went in there in my entire three years. A few nerdy individuals had their own PCs in their rooms, but in the main, we were strictly a long-hand college.

The only time I ever wrote an essay on a PC as opposed to longhand was when I was writing up my thesis and the tutor asked for it to be typed rather than handwritten.

[Cedophile]

A few nerdy individuals had their own PCs in their rooms, but in the main, we were strictly a long-hand college.

Nuuuuts. It's been forever since I've actually WRITTEN something with my hand. Aside from notes in math class. Must be why my students (and I) can't understand what I write as I write it. I found myself rewriting words over and under each other 3 times to get the full readability I needed out.