CAP Guide

The Computing Allocation Process (CAP)

Summary

We will do our best to meet the needs of as many as possible. Thank you for your help and patience in this process. Please email smorgan@bowdoin.edu with any suggestions on how we can improve this process.

Important Dates

Auto-Replacement

Bowdoin has a four year replacement cycle for an individual's primary computer. The following computers are eligible for Auto-Replacement in Summer 2008:

Macs:
Year 2004 iMacs and G5s
Year 2004 iBooks and Powerbooks

PCs:
Year 2004 Dell Optiplex GX270s
Year 2004 Dell Latitude D600

If you are using one of the above models as your primary machine and have not been contacted about autoreplacement, please contact Sue Davies at sdavies@bowdoin.edu.

Making A Request

Welcome to the Computing Allocation Process (CAP)

Go to the CAP website and log in with your email username and password. Select your department, and click "Enter."

Select what you would like to request, and fill in all necessary information. Providing a brief justification will help with the evaluation of your request.

New this year! If you're not sure what you need, we've provided a place for you to just describe the problem. We'll contact you and assist with your CAP request.

After you have made your selections, click on "Proceed to Checkout" (top right) to review your CAP request(s). You will then have a chance to update quantities or delete items. YOU MUST click the "Submit to CAP" button for your request to be submitted.

You will receive a confirmation email summarizing your request.

Hardware, Software, and Peripherals

Hardware

Every regular faculty and staff member whose job requires a computer will have:

The following are the new configurations for 2008: 

If you want to replace a computer that is less than four years old, please provide a detailed justification. 

Software 

The following packages are provided by the college on every new machine and do not require special purchasing or requests: 

Every regular faculty and staff member whose job requires a computer can request the following, but a short explanation is required: 

For specialized software other than that listed above, please provide a detailed description and justification.

Peripherals and Upgrades 

Every regular faculty and staff member whose job requires a computer can request the following, but a short explanation is required: 

Individual Requests 
Departmental Requests 

For peripherals or upgrades other than those listed above, please provide a detailed description and justification. 

Requests for Hardware and/or Software of $10,000 or more 

The Academic Computing Committee encourages those making requests for substantial resources ($10,000 or more) to seek grants or other sources of funding before applying to the Committee for hardware or software. While the Committee appreciates that this may not always be possible (or successful), it will rank justifications for requests in the context of the following hierarchy: 

  1. Requests to continue teaching and research activities initially funded by other grants (and when the activities have proven essential for ongoing teaching and research)
  2. Requests to initiate teaching and research activities for which faculty and/or staff have sought other funding. 
  3. Requests which will have an institutional impact on education and/or research. 
  4. Requests which will have a department or program impact. 
  5. Requests which will impact the teaching or research of one faculty member.

Department Chairs and Directors

Approval and Prioritization by the Department Chair or Director

Every CAP request requires the approval of a Department Chair or Director. Both the Academic and Administrative Computing Committees often rely upon the prioritization of a request.

To approve and Prioritize your department's requests:

Go to cap website and select your department and login. Click on "Review Departmental Requests." For each request, select a priority (High, Medium, Low, or Unapproved). Once each request is prioritized, please click "Process" to apply your prioritization. Any request not prioritized by the Department Chair or Director will default to "Unapproved."