Computer Recommendations and Email
by Derek Leach, Law ITC User Support Manager
Hello and welcome to the Class of 2014! My name is Derek Leach and I am the user support manager for the UVA School of Law. I hope that your summer has gotten off to a great start. In preparation for starting the fall term in Charlottesville, I want to bring a few technical matters to your attention.
Accessing Your UVA Email
As an incoming UVA student, you will have a University-provided email account for electronic mail. You will have the choice of either Gmail or Windows Live as the host of your UVA email account, but we generally recommend that law students choose Gmail, as we have found it much easier to work with. I will list email activation directions below, which may be confusing but should work properly. If you have continued trouble in creating your UVA email account, please contact us or the central UVA ITC Help Desk so that we can sort it out together.
Once you have completed the steps for activating your UVA email account, you can use Webmail (www.mail.virginia.edu) as an easy way to confirm that you have access to your email accounts without configuring an email client. This is very important. Official Law School communications will gradually transition to your UVA email accounts as the fall semester draws nearer. Please note that if you have any problems accessing your email account, you can contact the main UVA ITC Help Desk by phone at (434) 924-3731 or via email (consult@virginia.edu).
Creating UVA Email Accounts
There are several steps involved in activating your UVA email account. Before you get started you should look for an email from the Law School Office of Financial Aid referring to the Student Information System (SIS). That email will have a computing ID and student ID number that will be necessary to activate your UVA email account. If you cannot find that initial email, please notify us or the Financial Aid office. When you have your computing ID and student ID number, you can proceed to Step 1 of email activation.
Step 1: If you have not done so already, create your initial UVA SIS password. Using the computing ID and student ID from the email, go to the following website and set your initial UVa SIS password: https://whois.virginia.edu/applicants/
If you already have a working SIS password, you can skip this step and proceed to Step 2.
Step 2: With your computing id and initial SIS password in hand, you can begin the activation of your UVA email account. To do this you will have to review proper policies and procedures for email and complete the Responsible Computing Quiz. All of this can be found at: https://www.itc.virginia.edu/students/new.html
Once you complete the Responsible Computing Quiz, you will be prompted to choose an email provider. The Law School recommends Gmail but you are welcome to choose either Gmail or Windows Live. Once that step is completed you should be able to access your UVA email by going to www.mail.virginia.edu.
Computer Purchasing for UVA Students
As you may or may not know, Virginia Law has a laptop requirement. If you would like to see the requirements for incoming 1Ls, the information is online at: www.law.virginia.edu/main/pc+purchase
We offer a Dell Latitude and a MacBook laptop option that are optimized to be supported for your three years of Law School. We specialize in servicing these models and can order parts and diagnose software problems with greater efficiency for these laptops. For the second year, we are extending our loaner laptop eligibility to any laptop offered by Cavalier Computers, so if you find a model that you prefer being offered to the undergrads or the Darden students, you are welcome to purchase it. We won’t be able to give you an identical loaner laptop, but we will attempt to service it to the best of our ability. Please make a note of the ordering deadlines if you would like for your laptop to be here before orientation. To check out the currently offered Law Bundles, follow this link: www.uvastudentcomputers.com
If you already own a laptop or would prefer to purchase something else, you are welcome to provide a laptop of your choosing, but we will not be able to offer extensive hardware support and you will not be eligible for a loaner laptop for non-Bundle owners. The main things to configure on your own are security updates (such as Windows and Apple Updates), antivirus (UVA offers Symantec Anti-Virus for free to students) and wireless networking. You MUST be up-to-date with security updates from Microsoft or Apple to join the UVA network properly. Once you have your email account up and running we can assist you with all of these configuration items. If you know that you will be in town before orientation, please send an email to request an appointment and we can get a jump on configuration. Otherwise, we will have a series of laptop configuration workshops during the first week of classes for all incoming students. If you have any questions about your computer purchase, you can contact us directly by email at lawitc@virginia.edu.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to meeting you this fall.
Derek Leach for LawITC
