Frequently-asked Questions About the Micro Fund

"Can somebody help me? I don't even know what to ask for, I just know my computer is very old."

ITS staff will be happy to assist you. All you need to do is check the Macalester ID tag on your computer. In the 2008-2009 Micro Fund, we will seek to automatically replace eligible computers numbered between 21376 and 21813. If your computer has an ID number within this range, and is eligible for automatic replacement, you need do nothing until you receive an e-mail message directing you to a Web page to indicate your choice. Please note that not all computers with ID numbers in this range are eligible for Micro Fund replacement (for example, computers purchased with FTR - Faculty Travel and Research funds - are not replaced by the Micro Fund). To find out whether or not your computer is eligible, please contact David Sisk at x6745 (or via e-mail, at sisk@macalester.edu)

"I'm not familiar with the hardware vendors you use. I think I can find pretty much the same gear a little bit more cheaply. Can I select another vendor?"

No. While we appreciate the desire to save money for the College, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into ITS's supporting you and your colleagues' computing endeavors - and we depend on strong relationships with reputable, reliable vendors to make this possible. ITS has chosen our vendors carefully, with an eye towards securing competitive pricing, responsive pre-sales consulting, accurate billing, timely shipping, trustworthy parts selection and configuration design, and of course dedicated technical support.

"If I cut back on the configuration of the computer awarded to me, can I use the cost savings to buy other items?"

No. Awards from the Micro Fund take the form of devices, not sums of money.

"What about newly-hired faculty members? Will they arrive to find new computers waiting for them?"

Yes - with a little advance planning. Faculty who are hired into tenure-track positions are typically given startup funds by the Provost. These funds are agreed upon at the time a hire is made, and are earmarked to purchase books, lab equipment and other materials needed for a scholar to begin work at Macalester. The Provost expects that faculty members who are given startup funds will purchase their first College-owned office computer, and possibly one or more lab computers (if applicable), using startup funds. Department chairs are strongly encouraged to have newly-hired tenure-track faculty members contact their Academic Information Associate as soon as possible after hiring to discuss their preferences and initiate appropriate purchases.

Non-tenure-track faculty members need computers, too. Department chairs should plan ahead and request computers for new hires through the Micro Fund whenever possible (using the 'New/Early Request Form). Waiting until a few days before a new faculty member arrives, then calling ITS and saying "Professor So-and-So will need a computer," is not an effective way to meet the new instructor's needs.

"What about computer equipment that is not eligible for replacement through the Micro Fund?"

Computers can be acquired through sources other than the Micro Fund, such as grants, departmental budgets, and faculty travel and research funds (FTR). These same alternate funding sources should be used to replace items that are not eligible for replacement through the Micro Fund, if replacement is truly necessary. Whether or not it makes sense to use alternative funding sources to replace computers is a decision that ultimately belongs to whomever controls the funding source. For example, the Provost mandates that a computer purchased by a faculty member with FTR funds may only be replaced with FTR funds - but the decision to purchase (or not) clearly rests with that individual faculty member.

"What if I have questions you didn't answer in this document?"

This document is periodically reviewed and updated as necessary. If you have a question that was not answered herein, please don't hesitate to ask us. Call the Help Desk at x.6525 or David Sisk at x.6745 - both may also be contacted via e-mail (helpdesk@macalester.edu and sisk@macalester.edu, respectively). We stand ready to answer your questions to the best of our ability.

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