Skip to the content

Kansas State University

  1. K-State home >
  2. Information technology >
  3. University computing labs and InfoCommons

University computing labs and K-State Infocommons

The university computing labs and K-State InfoCommons are central computing facilities for use by K-State students, faculty, and staff. These resources are supported by the Vice Provost for Information Technology Services and a portion of student fees.

University computing labs

All labs are for K-Staters only, and require signing in with a K-State eID and password. The labs provide 200+ PCs (and 6 Unix workstations in Dickens) plus access to printing resources.

Lab locations (PDF map) Hours Equipment Notes
Dickens Hall, Room 1 24/7 32 PCs, laser printer Includes PC SAS software.
Hale Library, first floor
24-hour study area		 24/7 9 PCs, laser printer Food and drink are allowed.
Justin Hall, Room 325 Justin building hours 20 PCs, laser printer
Nichols Hall, Room 21 24/7 31 PCs, laser printer Reserved sometimes for classes.
Includes floppy drives
Seaton Hall, Room 22 24/7 20 PCs, laser printer
Union Copy Center Union building hours 10 PCs, laser printer  
Union Station Union building hours 10 PCs Prints to Union Copy Center printer.

Tips for using the labs

  1. Save your work to an external storage device such as a USB flash drive.
  2. Save your files often. Lab software removes all stored data after 30 minutes of inactivity.
  3. Don't leave your property unattended in the labs.
  4. Printouts can be sent to any printer in the university computing labs and InfoCommons.
  5. Laptops can be checked out from the IT Help Desk and used anywhere on campus.
  6. Be sure to sign out on the PC and print server when you're done.

K-State InfoCommons

The K-State InfoCommons in Hale Library provides computers; print and electronic resources; and professional assistance from reference librarians and computer support staff.

Printing

  • Limited, free laser printing is available to all students, faculty, and staff via their K-State eID and password. $10 is allocated per person each fall and spring semester, and $5 each summer. Beyond those amounts, the Wildcat Card can be used for pay-for-printing. Unused balances do not carry forward to the next semester.
  • Costs are 10 cents per page for black-and-white printing, and 18 cents two-sided (duplex). Color printing is 75 cents per page.
  • Black-and-white printing goes into one queue and can be retrieved at any printer in the labs and InfoCommons.
  • Color printing is only available in the Media Development Center.
  • Double-sided (duplex) printing is the default in the labs and InfoCommons. See Duplex and single-sided printing for details on switching between those two print options.
   Black-and-white printing process
  1. In the application where you want to print, select File and Print.
  2. In the Print box's drop-down menu, select the printer location. Click Print.
  3. Name your print job by typing your eID or a word in the box. Click OK.
  4. Print requests are queued at the specified printer and stored up to 30 minutes. (If not printed during that time, they're auto-deleted at no cost to the sender.)
  5. Go to the location of the laser printer you selected.
  6. For free printing, sign in at the print station with your eID and password (your account balance is displayed). Or for pay-for-print, insert your Wildcat Card into the card reader.
  7. Select your print job(s) in the list and click Print.
  8. When finished, sign out of the print server. If you used your Wildcat Card, eject your card.
Color printing process
  1. Go to the Media Development Center (Hale 213) and select a computer to use.
  2. Open the application where you want to print, select File and Print.
  3. In the Print box's drop-down menu, "iTAC Color Laser" will be displayed. Set the printing properties desired. Click OK.
  4. Name your print job by typing your eID or a word in the box. Click OK.
  5. Go to the color printer in the corner of the room.
  6. For free printing, sign in at the print station with your eID and password (your account balance is displayed). Or for pay-for-print, insert your Wildcat Card into the card reader.
  7. Select your print job(s) in the list and click Print.
  8. When finished, sign out of the print server. If you used your Wildcat Card, eject your card.

Policies

  1. All federal, state, and K-State IT policies must be observed when using the labs and InfoCommons facilities. K-State's Information Technology Usage Policy covers appropriate use and examples of prohibited use.
  2. Food or drink is prohibited in the labs, but is allowed in the Hale Library 24-hour study area. Drinks are allowed in the K-State InfoCommons.
  3. Only K-State students, faculty, and staff may use the computer equipment in the labs. Users may be asked to show a valid K-State ID as proof of enrollment and/or employment status.
  4. Children under 18 are not allowed in the labs unless accompanied by a parent/guardian or enrolled at K-State.
  5. Recreational computing -- including game-playing, Web browsing, and Internet chat -- must not interfere with or disrupt academic use. Use of the computers for academic purposes (classes or homework) has priority over recreational computing.
  6. Requests to add software in the labs should follow the guidelines in the software addition policy.
  7. The first violation of a lab policy may result in a one-week suspension from using the facilities. Subsequent violations may result in the suspension of the eID for an extended period, as well as further university sanctions based on the violation.

Contacts