1. The ITS Helpdesk
   The Helpdesk is the contact point for all computing support at Bethel for students, faculty, and staff. Please contact us if you have any computing needs.
   
   
2. Create New Account
   Go to the secure Account Creator to activate your new Bethel Community Account. You will need to provide your Bethel ID number, and a PIN number, usually the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, to activate your account. During the account activation process you will select your own password following the instructions provided on the account activation page. You can complete this process from any computer with internet access. Since Bethel's Computing Lab computers require you to log in prior to use, you will need to use one of the designated computers in CC120, your own, a friend's, or a colleague's computer.
   
   
3. Policy
   You are responsible for all usage of your Bethel Community Account, and you must read and abide by Bethel's Computing Acceptable Use Policy. The Computing Acceptable Use Policy and other information important for users are located in the Policy Section.
   
   
4. Changing Your Account Password
   If at any time you need to change your password, go to the Account Manager and select Change My Password.  Changing your password will synchronize the passwords for all of your accounts (e-mail, fileserver, Blackboard, Exchange, etc.). If you have a CARS account and need to reset that password, please contact the HelpDesk.
   
   

   Resetting your Account Password: If you forget your password or find that you are unable to access some network resources (Blackboard for example), reset your password from the Account Manager

   
   
   
5. E-mail
   E-mail is an essential and an effective communication method within the Bethel Community. Bethel community members are expected to check their e-mail frequently. The E-Mail Policy can be found in the Policy Section. Each user has a limit for e-mail storage (this limit also includes your personal webpage). Due to this limit, Bethel users must delete old emails on a regular basis. To check how much space you are using please go to the Account Manager and select Check My Unix Account Size.

E-Mail Access: Students and Faculty can access their Bethel e-mail at https://webmail.acad.bethel.edu/ using any web browser. Staff can access their Bethel e-mail at http://mail.admin.bethel.edu/ using any web browser.

E-mail Preferences:. If you prefer to continue using an e-mail system outside Bethel (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc), you must have your Bethel e-mail forwarded to that other e-mail address. To set up e-mail forwarding go to the Account Manager and select Forward My Bethel E-Mail. This is important so you won't miss any course or Bethel e-mail.

6. Blackboard Account
   Each user is given an account on Blackboard, Bethel's Course Management Software. Access Blackboard at http://blackboard.bethel.edu. Help and an FAQ for Blackboard at Bethel is available via the help button in Blackboard.
   
   
7. Personal Files
   Each user has a secure personal home folder to store files on the network. This folder is accessible anywhere on Bethel's Campus. For directions on how to access this folder, look at Accessing your Home Folder.

Personal files should always be saved to these servers which are backed up nightly. Each user has a storage limit (40 MB for students and 200 MB for faculty/staff). If you exceed this quota you are notified by e-mail. To check your quota visit the Account Manager and select Check My Home Directory (Avalon) Size. You may archive your files for personal storage using the Zip or CD-RW drives available in CC120. Zip (100MB) and CD-R/RW (700MB) disks are available for purchase in the Campus Store

8. Printing
   Each student is allowed 500 free pages per year. Each page printed on the color printer counts as 9 pages. Any pages printed beyond the 500-page quota will be automatically billed to the student account around May 10 at $0.11 per black and white page and $1.00 per color page. Monthly reminders will be sent as users reach certain page count levels. To check the number of pages you have printed, go to the Account Manager and select Check My Printing Page Count.

Important Printing Note: To avoid being charged for pages when you have printing problems, always contact the Help Desk at the time you have the printing problem. For more information on printing charges, visit the Printer FAQ.



9. Web Hosting
   Bethel offers personal web page hosting to all students. This space is shared with your email, so the more space you take up with email, the less space you have to make a web page. To enable your personal web page, go to the Account Manager and select Create My Personal Website. The address of your website takes the format: http://www.bethel.edu/~usersloginname
   
   
10. ResNet (Bethel's Residential Network)
    Students living in Bethel housing may connect their computers directly to Bethel's network for fast access to the Internet and their personal files. Wireless ethernet is available in North Village and Seminary Village (students must purchase and install their own wireless card), and wired ethernet in all other campus housing. For more information, please go to the ResNet Information Site or contact the Help Desk.
    
    
11. Off Campus Access
    To have Internet access from an off campus residence, you must obtain your own ISP (Internet Service Provider). We recommend an inexpensive ISP package available from Computer Village. To access files on the Bethel network or other Bethel accounts (e-mail, Blackboard, etc.) from off campus please view Access Accounts From Off-Campus.
    
    

*** To protect your personal files and Community Account from being compromised, remember to ALWAYS LOG OUT when you are finished computing. Log out is not complete until the login window is displayed again. ***