Hardware

The Computer Refresh Program provides up-to-date computing resources to the UNC Asheville community in a fiscally sustainable and technologically supportable way.

One person (FTE), one machine

Full-time employees (faculty and staff) of the university whose work requires the use of a computer are entitled to a University-supplied and ITS-supported machine. This may be a PC or Mac, laptop or desktop, as determined by the job requirements for the position. A computer is assigned to a position, not an individual. If a person transfers from one position to another within the university they do not take their computer with them, they use the computer assigned to their new position.

ITS' decisions on which computers are "refreshed"  are based on the age, warranty status, and technical specifications of a computer - not the individual using it. Computers are not to be "bumped-down", reassigned, or switched between users unless there is a position change involved. 

Computers for a purpose

There are cases in which the "one person, one machine" rule does not apply: adjunct faculty, part-time employees, student workers, volunteers, and "utility/kiosk" style machines to name a few. In these cases ITS follows a "one machine per cumulative FTE" guideline, but common sense will guide our decisions.

Utility or "kiosk" machines are those computers used for a particular purpose, such as student registration or for prospective employees filling out job applications. These machines have no individual user(s), and are generally unique or very few in number. ITS will work with departments to determine the most efficacious technical solution, based on the department's usage estimates and desired functionality.

Equal consideration in a University-wide context

The addition of non-FTE associated computers to the campus inventory is at the discretion of the Vice Chancellors/Deans, based on their priorities, and Finance, based on budgetary realities. This is to ensure that all requests are given appropriate consideration in the context of the University as a whole. Given the finite nature of University resources, the Vice Chancellors/Deans are in the best position to determine what requests will render the most "good" to the greatest number of the University community. Finance provides oversight to ensure that only fiscally sustainable requests are granted. This determination is not based solely on the cost of the computer, but also the support, personnel, and other costs associated with maintaining the machine.

Alternative funding and options

Regrettably, not all equipment requests can be funded at the University level. If a Vice Chancellor or Dean denies a request to add equipment to the University equipment lease, or if timing is such that waiting for the next refresh cycle is not desirable, a Department may choose to purchase equipment using Department funds. Machines purchased as part of a grant, gift, or contract fall into this category. These purchases can be made through ITS and will conform to ITS' specifications, e.g. identical in every way (hardware, software, and support) to leased equipment.

The functional difference is that at the end of the refresh cycle, instead of ITS replacing the equipment with a new item from the lease pool, the Department will have another opportunity to make their case before their VC or Dean to add the equipment to the campus lease. Purchased equipment will only be supported by ITS staff for the duration of the equipment's warranty or service contract.

If absolutely no funding is available, a Department may request "refurbished" equipment from ITS' inventory. As the University's Equipment Lifecycle Management project continues there will be fewer and fewer pieces of refurbished equipment available. However, Departments are welcome to request a machine from of this pool, provided their request meets one of the following criteria as determined by their Vice Chancellor or Dean.

• Work-study use
• Undergraduate Research
• Laptops to loan out for faculty travel (for those faculty who have not yet received a laptop as part of this project)

These requests are serviced on a first-come, first-served basis. Because these machines are out of warranty and no longer supported by our vendors we cannot guarantee that we will be able to repair or replace "refurbished" equipment.

Active stewardship of computing resources

All "non-FTE" machines, even those previously granted by the Vice Chancellors/Deans, will have to petition to be added to the campus inventory again when those machines are due for refresh. This assures that needs, both technical and functional, are reassessed on a regular basis, and machines which become unnecessary over time are not continually refreshed. This frees valuable resources for new needs and projects which develop.

Sustainable computing

Our specifications and warranty coverage are based on a four-year cycle to ensure that the machine you get today is just as functional in 3 years and 11 months. In accordance with the UNC-GA Combined Pricing Initiative (CPI), UNC Asheville ITS has established standards for the hardware and software that we will support. Standardization of hardware provides significant discounts with our vendors and participation in CPI is mandatory for all UNC System schools. ITS engages vendors who support environmentally ethical computing and responsible recycling of "e-waste".