Consultant Guidelines

Department of Computer Science

  1. Your basic responsibility is to assist students who have questions about the proper use of, or are having difficulty using CS computing equipment and software. In addition to the common UNIX environment, you are also responsible for becoming familiar with the basics of X-Windows (not programming), and the OpenOffice word processor and spreadsheet. You also serve the CS department by watching over the lab to ensure that it gets used properly, that nothing gets damaged or stolen, etc., and by performing the other simple tasks described below.
  2. You may do your own work ONLY if all your other tasks have been completed and there is no student asking for help. If a student asks for help when you are doing your own work, you must drop what you are doing and help that student.
  3. Be there when you are scheduled to work. If you cannot make it, arrange for a substitute (it must be another consultant). If you can't be there, and cannot arrange for a substitute, let the consultant who precedes you know.
  4. Act professionally when you are working. You should not consider yourself to be somebody special, that has rights that others do not, or that you are a know-it-all. Do not disturb students who are working - basically keep the lab reasonably quiet. You may have a radio on, but the volume must be kept low, and if anyone asks you to turn it off, do so. The lab is not a hang-out or meeting place for consultants, computer junkies, etc.
  5. Maintain a studious atmosphere in the labs. If one or more students are disturbing others who are trying to work, ask them to stop doing so. If they don't, ask them to leave. If they don't, call public safety to have them removed.
  6. It is ok to help students with general questions about the use of CS computers, including hardware and software. You may help students who are having difficulty with an assignment, but do not help them design or write the assignment (refer them to their instructor). Help with finding a bug is ok as long as the student learns something from what you do; explaining how to track down a bug is a good idea - telling a student to change a piece of code without explaining why is not. A student should not depend on you to get his/her program to work. Use good discretion here.
  7. Your first responsibility when you show up for work is the make sure both labs are neat and tidy. Make sure the areas around the laser printers aren't strewn with paper. Discard output that is obviously old, and straighten up the rest. Discard anything just laying around the workstations (scrap paper, etc.). Put pop cans or anything else that are can be returned for money on the window ledge near the laser printer.
  8. Keep the laser printers stocked with paper, and replace toner cartridges when they run out. Paper and cartridges are kept in the closet next to the consultant desk. Get what you need from the CS department secretary. The closet should be kept locked at all times to prevent paper and/or cartridges from disappearing. If you are working at 4PM on Monday through Thursday, before 5PM be sure that there are three spare reams of paper in the consultant desk drawer. If you are working at 4PM on Friday, make sure that there are five spare reams of paper.
  9. If the used paper boxes in either lab become full, please put the top on, write "WASTE" on it, and get another box. If you are working at 4PM on Monday through Thursday, take any full waste box down to the loading dock on the first floor. 
  10. Log into the consult account when you start work, and respond to talk and mail in a timely fashion. You don't have to drop everything to respond to talk. If you are busy, just ignore it. The same is true of mail, but try to at least respond with something within an hour so that the person who may need help knows that someone is listening.
  11. If you work the last shift, please make sure that the doors to all labs (112, 112A, 113, 113A, 117 and 118) and the hallway are closed on the first floor before you leave. 
  12. If you are done consulting and the next consultant does not show up (this should not happen very often), then send email to ruihong@mtu.edu to let her know. You may stay and consult (and get paid) if you like, or you may leave.
  13. If you are unsure about whether to work on various holidays, school closing days, etc. check the schedule. If this does not answer your question, send email to ruihong@mtu.edu.
  14. Try to be aware of equipment that might be failing and, if necessary, turn it off before serious damage can occur. For example, if you smell smoke or hear a noise that is obviously bad news, take action. If you become aware of less serious problems that do not require immediate action, report it to the csmaint@mtu.edu.
  15. Do not make any changes to the equipment and/or network. Do not try to fix problems that you are not qualified to try to fix - you will probably make things worse. Report the problems to csmaint@mtu.edu. 
  16. Watch for inappropriate use of the equipment. However, you do not have to be the police. If during the normal course of events you notice something that is not allowed, take appropriate action (usually collecting information about the "offense" and reporting it). Report serious problems to public safety. Report all problems to ruihong@mtu.edu.
  17. Short (a minute or less) personal calls are allowed from the lab phone. Excessively frequent calls are not allowed. Please enforce this.
  18. Water the plants in all labs (112, 112A, 113, 113A, 117 and 118) twice a week. If you are working on Tuesday or Thursday 8:00-12:00, please water all the plants. If you need some guide about watering the plants, please check with the department secretary.
  19. Please fill the consultant daily work log for every shift and keep them in the consultant desk. If you are working at 4PM on Monday, please put the previous week's work logs in Ruihong' mailbox.