8003 Computer Services

LARAMIE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROCEDURE

SUBJECT - Computer Services

REFERENCE - None

DATE - 8/22/89

NUMBER - 8003

1. Use of Data Processing Facilities

The college's data processing facilities are available as follows:

A. Students, Faculty, and Staff

The college's data processing facilities support the college's instructional or administrative needs. The facilities are not to be used to support personal or commercial activities.

B. Wyoming Community Colleges

Laramie County Community College's data processing facilities may be used in emergency situations by other agencies.

C. Nonprofit Organizations

Nonprofit organizations may be granted use of the college's data processing facilities in support of community service projects on written approval from the President or the President's designee.

D. All other requests for use of data processing facilities must be submitted in writing to the President or the President's designee for review and approval.

2. The Role of Computer Services

Computer Services is responsible for the:

A. Operation, maintenance, and security of the college's Computer Center.

B. Operational support of the college's inventory of personal computers, printers, word processors, typewriters, and other electronic and computer equipment unless otherwise specified by the college.

C. Software programming development

D. Software/hardware evaluation

E. Training and assistance of faculty and staff in the use of computer equipment and software

F. Supervision and training of computer lab student proctors in concert with the responsible instructional division

G. Review of computer equipment requests and proposals

3. Hardware and Software Services

A. Hardware and software services, which include maintenance, repair, installation, software assistance, and setup of the college's computer and electronic equipment, are obtained by:

1) Submitting a written Work Order Request to Computer Services (see attachment CS.1), or

2) Providing the needed work order information directly to Computer Services by calling Computer Services (ext. 120).

B. If the repair work requested is covered under an existing warranty or maintenance arrangement, the vendor will perform the repair work as contracted with the college.

C. If the work requested is not covered under a warranty or maintenance arrangement or is installation or setup work, the Word Order Request is assigned by the Director of Computer Services to the appropriate staff employee. The staff member and the Director of Computer Services will estimate a work completion date. The completion date is dependent upon the priority and urgency of the request, the existing work load, and the availability of any necessary repair parts.

If the estimated completion date presents a problem for the requester, other arrangements may be made. Alternatives include a loan of like equipment, sending the work requested to an outside vendor, or reprioritizing the existing work load.

4. Computer Center Production-Run Services

A. Computer Center production-run services, which include specialized reports, mailing labels, student billings, and magnetic tapes, are obtained by submitting a Work Order Request to Computer Services (see attachment CS-1).

B. Production-run Work Order Requests are scheduled based on the number of pending requests and the urgency of the request as determined by the Director of Computer Services.

C. Production-run Work Order Requests are to be completed within a maximum of three working days from the date they are submitted to Computer Services.

5. Software Programming Services

A. Software programming services are obtained by submitting a written Programming Service Request to Computer Services (see attachment CS2). The Director of Computer Services will review the request with the requestor's Dean and estimate the programming effort required.

B. Computer Services maintains two lists of programming needs:

1) A list of approved and scheduled programming projects

2) A list of deferred programming projects

C. If a programming request is estimated to require more than a week to complete, it is considered major and must be submitted to the President's Staff for review and prioritization. Based upon the urgency and the demonstrated need for the request, it is assigned a priority relative to the projects currently on Computer Services' list of scheduled programming projects. If the request's assigned priority is higher than the lowest scheduled priority project, the request is added to the scheduled programming projects list and all lower priority projects are rescheduled accordingly. If not, the request is added to the Computer Services' deferred programming projects list.

D. Periodically, as programming projects are completed, the President's Staff will meet with the Director of Computer Services to review and replace completed projects on the scheduled programming project list with projects from the deferred programming project list.

E. If a programming request is estimated to require less than a week to complete, it is considered minor. Based upon the Director of Computer Services' judgment of the request's urgency, the request is scheduled and added to Computer Services' list of scheduled programming projects. If the proposed completion date presents a hardship, the requester may ask the appropriate division chairperson or dean to confer with the Director of Computer Services about revising the completion date of the currently scheduled programming projects in order to accommodate the particular request.

F. Occasionally a request's estimated programming effort will be beyond the expertise currently available within Computer Services. The options the President's Staff will consider in such situations include scaling down the request, employment of outside contract programmers, purchase of already written computer software or rejection of the request.

6. Computer Equipment Requests

A. Computer equipment (computers, printers, monitors, system accessories, etc.), along with any needed software and/or furniture, is requested through the submission of a formal Computer Proposal (see attachment CS-3). A Computer Proposal Summary Sheet, obtainable from Computer Services (see attachment CS-4), must accompany the proposal. The Computer Proposal Summary Sheet is used to route the proposal through the college's computer proposal/review process and also serves as the college's purchase requisition should the proposal be approved.

Computer proposals must be reviewed by:

1) Computer Services

2) the Computer Advisory Committee (CAC)

3) Requester's respective supervisor and Dean,

with evaluation comments resulting from these three review steps recorded on a Computer Proposal Review Sheet, obtainable from Computer Services, that also must accompany the proposal through the review process (see attachment CS‑5).

B. The initial step in the review process is evaluation of the proposal by Computer Services.

Requesters are required to discuss their proposals with Computer Services before beginning the review process. Computer Services will help evaluate the cost and technical appropriateness of a proposal based upon the requester's demonstrated computer need, established college hardware and software standards, vendor discount considerations, warranty/maintenance factors and future computer industry directions.

Computer Services will also require that any associated wiring, power, or construction costs associated with the proposal be included on the Computer Proposal Summary Sheet, with cost estimates to be obtained through consultation with the Physical Plant Department.

Finally, associated computer furniture needs are also to be included on the Computer Proposal Summary Sheet, with cost estimates obtainable from the college's Purchasing Agent.

C. The proposal is then submitted by the requester to his/her department supervisor for written departmental justification and approval.

D. The proposal, if approved by the requester's departmental supervisor, is then submitted by the requester to the college's Computer Advisory Committee. The Computer Advisory Committee, composed of representatives from the college's various instructional and administrative divisions, evaluates the proposal from an overall college perspective in an effort to maximize the college's resources. Of particular concern to the committee is the proposal's demonstrated need, the requestor's usage plan, the urgency of the request, computer literacy of the requester, the requester's commitment to computer training, and transferability of existing equipment should the proposal be a replacement or upgrade request.

The committee also evaluates any associated software and makes recommendations regarding possible funding sources. Funding alternatives include the employment of library software funds, funding through the Wyoming Higher Education Computer Network (WHECN), college‑wide purchase of the needed software, and departmental or divisional purchase of the requested software.

Associated furniture requests are not formally evaluated by the committee although recommendations may be made by the committee regarding the suitability of the requested furniture.

Finally, if the committee is unclear about a particular proposal, the requester may be asked to meet with the committee to discuss the proposal.

E. Following review of the proposal by the Computer Advisory Committee, the proposal

is forwarded to the requester's respective Dean or to the President should the

requester's office report directly to the college's President. The forwarded

proposals are then presented to the following respective councils for final review

and approval:

1) Instructional Advisory Council/Instructional proposals

2) Staff Councils/Business Services and Student Services proposals

3) President's Office Staff/Office of the President proposals

Should a proposal not be approved, the respective council's objections/reservations concerning the particular proposal are recorded on the Computer Proposal Review Sheet. The proposal is then returned to the Computer Advisory Committee (CAC) with a copy of the Computer Proposal Review Sheet sent by the CAC to the requester.

When a proposal is approved, but particular individual items in the proposal are not approved, the council should identify those items on the Computer Proposal Summary Sheet as Not Approved. For example, a council may determine that existing furniture is adequate or that an existing printer is adequately supporting the printing demands of an office or lab.

Approved computer proposals are prioritized by the respective council along with other approved equipment requests and forwarded to the President's Staff for funding review and authorization.

F. Depending upon the amount of capital expenditure funds available, approved

equipment requests (computer and noncomputer) are reviewed periodically by the

college's President's Staff.

If a computer proposal is granted funding approval by the President's Staff, the proposal is returned to the Computer Advisory Committee (CAC). The signed Computer Proposal Summary Sheet is forwarded to the college's purchasing department and serves as a temporary purchase requisition until an actual purchase requisition can be prepared by the college's purchasing agent. Copies of the signed temporary purchase requisition are sent to Computer Services, the Library, and the requester along with a copy to the Physical Plant Department if building construction will be required.