World Wide Web & E-mail

The World Wide Web is used by students at UCSB for various academic, informational and recreational purposes. Parents and others can also use the Web to access campus websites for information about a variety of resources. Most campus resources and departments have home pages where students can find out more about the services, classes, programs and opportunities available at UCSB. Some classes require students to check the course website daily for assignments or reference material. Sites of particular interest to UCSB students include an online version of the General Catalog, Calendar of Events, Davidson Library databases and electronic reserves, and sites devoted to various academic, administrative, and student affairs departments and student organizations. These can all be accessed through the main UCSB homepage located at www.ucsb.edu. In addition, the Web is extremely useful as a research tool and allows students to access information from a variety of sources worldwide, from corporate websites to other universities’ databases to current events and news. Appropriate sites can be found through search engines such as Google, www.google.com, or Yahoo, www.yahoo.com. E-mail is another important aspect of life at UCSB. Students must obtain a free e-mail account from Instructional Computing (IC) by using any computer on campus or in the IC main office (or any IC lab). E-mail is often used to assign or turn in homework, contact professors or teaching assistants, and receive information from various campus departments and resources, in addition to its use as a way to stay in contact with friends, family and employers. Students can check their e-mail from on-campus computer labs, NetStations, or from home in the residence halls or off-campus, if properly equipped.

Computer Access

One of the many benefits of being a UCSB student is having complete access to the wide array of computer resources offered throughout the campus. Though many students find it to their advantage to have a computer of their own, free computer access is easily found on campus. Students may also qualify for additional financial aid to assist with the costs associated with purchasing a computer. Please see the Money Matters section for more information. Instructional Computing (IC), the primary campus computing facility, consists of seven Instructional Labs. The Instructional Labs are reserved for students enrolled in courses that utilize the computers for the completion of coursework and access to specialized software. Over 4,500 students use the Instructional Labs each quarter. All labs have trained consultants on duty. Orientations to software applications are offered the first week of each quarter but space is limited to a first come first serve basis. Workshops are offered throughout the year to introduce new users to computers and new applications. U-Mail (student e-mail) accounts are available to all registered students. For details on activating a new account, visit http://www.umail.ucsb.edu or contact our help desk at (805) 893-5542. Weekly lab schedule information can be found on the web at http://calendar.ic.ucsb.edu or by calling the number above.

Residence Halls Access

ResNet provides wireless in-room high speed internet access to every UCSB Housing resident. ResNet is directly connected to the UCSB computer network, providing a seamless link to all university resources as well as all other computers on the ResNet Network. This allows access to the World Wide Web, e-mail, newsgroups, online chat and the GauchoNet student information system direct from the student’s room. Students must supply their own network ready computers (with certain specifications) to access ResNet and there are several critical policies and general information that students need to be aware of before bringing their computers to UCSB. Please visit www.housing.ucsb.edu/resnet to get all the latest information.
Additionally, Residential Computer Labs are located in, Santa Catalina and Manzanita Village. Both labs are equipped with current generation hardware, Microsoft Office, as well as academic applications (i.e. Matlab, Solidworks) and digital video editing capabilities. Access to these labs is limited to students currently living in University-owned residence halls and apartments.

NetStations

UCSB also offers NetStation terminals, which are positioned in numerous locations throughout campus. Students have access to many services and resources such as e-mail, viewing class schedules and their academic records, checking financial aid and finding open classes through the online Schedule of Classes. New services that may be accessed from NetStations are added all the time. NetStations can be found in the University Center, the Anacapa and San Nicolas computer labs, Davidson Library, Student Health, the Women’s Center, the MultiCultural Center, and the Counseling Services and Career Services building, as well as many other convenient locations.

U-mail

U-Mail is the official student e-mail service used for communication by instructors and University administration. All students are required to activate and maintain their U-Mail accounts for the duration of their academic career. Although students may choose to forward their U-Mail to an off-campus e-mail service, they are required to check and maintain that account as they would their U-Mail account.For details on the U-Mail service and how to activate an account, visit http://www.umail.ucsb.edu/
Note that the U-Mail UCSBnetID grants access to many campus systems in addition to e-mail. Federal privacy laws state that data contained within these systems—such as registration records, grades, etc.—are for access by the student rather than by parents, guardians, etc. As such, we prefer that students activate their U-Mail accounts personally rather than having their parents do it for them.