Recommendations for your Computer/Laptop
You must have a laptop computer for your studies at Ross. Since your stay on St Kitts will be over 2 years, we strongly recommend purchasing a new laptop just before you come to the island. Students with older laptops suffer frequent software/hardware issues, and there are limited options for repair or replacement. Your computer must meet these minimum requirements. Computers without Antivirus protection will not be allowed on the network. Tablet PC's are strongly discouraged due to issues with the campus printing solution. You may bring tablet pc’s as a companion “extra” computer but they are only allowed on the guest network, which has limited bandwidth.
| Windows Laptops | |
| Operating System | Windows 7 (Home premium, professional or ultimate) |
| Processor type | Intel Core i3 (minimum) |
| Memory(RAM) | 2 GB (minimum) |
| CD- ROM | CD/DVD+RW |
| Video Card(MB) | Integrated Graphics or Dedicated Video Card |
| Network Card | 10/100/1000 802.11 b/g (minimum) |
| Hard Drive(GB) | 250 GB (minimum) |
| Apple Mac Laptops | |
| Operating System | OS X (10.6, 10.5 or 10.4) |
| Processor type | 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (minimum) |
| Processor speed(Ghz) | 2.0 |
| Memory(RAM) | 2 GB (minimum) |
| CD- ROM | DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW |
| Video Card(MB) | 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM |
| Network Card | 10/100/1000 802.11a/b/g Gigabit Ethernet (minimum) |
| Hard Drive(GB) | 250 GB (minimum) |
Additional Recommendation:
Invest in an antivirus program. We will also provide Norton Antivirus at no cost to students.
Invest in a SMART Uninterruptible Power Source (UPS). SMART UPS protect against power surges and low voltages that are harmful to computers/ laptops and other electronic devices. Island power can be variable and unreliable. This is a must! Power strips and arrestors are not sufficient. Consider bringing more than one for a spare or to protect all of your other electronics. We recommend finding a UPS specifically designed for poor power regions. Here is an example: http://shopping.yahoo.com/12155406-apc-back-ups-rs-900/
Printing on campus.
Print release stations are located in convenient areas around campus. You are given a quota of 750 pages (double sided) per semester at no cost. You may “top up” your quota in our Accounting Department for 7 cents US per page as needed.
Services Available to Students
- Registration of personal laptops for campus wireless access to learning material.
- Diagnosing and remedying (if possible) software issues with personal computers/laptops.
- Issues using or accessing any of the applications used on campus (myRoss, eCollege, walrus, etc.).
- Basic diagnosing and remedying (if possible) of hardware issues with personal computers/laptops using the following guidelines:
- Troubleshooting to determine the issue and its cause. A recommended course of action will be given to the owner of the device.
- For devices STILL UNDER WARRANTY, our assistance ends at the troubleshooting step; however, depending on the model, we will direct the student to the authorized service provider in St. Kitts.
- For devices with a WARRANTY THAT HAS EXPIRED, our assistance may continue on to a remedy, but this depends on:
- How quickly a fix is required – repair services are one of the many duties performed by the IT department. As such, there will be instances when students will be asked to work with one of the computer repair shops in St. Kitts if the matter is urgent.
- The age of the device – if the issue is a function of the device's age, we may ask the student to consider investing in a new device.
Operating Hours
Our office hours are Monday through Friday 7:00 am to 4:30 pm. During the semester break we are open Monday through Friday 8 am to 4 pm. Students can reach the IT Department via email at itsupport@rossvet.edu.kn .
