Staff Guide

Welcome
New Staff Checklist
The Basics
The More Advanced Stuff
Important Security Information

Welcome to the University of Utah!

General information for new staff is available through Human Resources in the Employee Orientation session held every Wednesday. In addition, numerous information technology (IT) resources and services are available to you. In fact, there is so much to learn that it might be a bit overwhelming to a new campus member.

This guide was created to give you an idea of the electronic resources that are available and how they apply to you. Your supervisor or computer administrator can inform you about additional departmental resources that you should be aware of. In addition to this page, new staff might find it useful to review the guides for new faculty and students.

new staff checklist

How to become a digital citizen at the U.

The Basics

A lot of the IT stuff you’ll need to do your job will be provided by or through your department. 

  • Computer (applications, Internet & email) - Every department has a Computer Administrator (or administrators) that keep the workstations working and manage departmental email.  Your department’s Computer Admin should set up and instruct you on your username(s) and password(s) for logging onto your computer, connecting to the Internet and using your department email account. 
  • Telephone – Your department uses either a Centrex or Sprint-Coral phone system.  Your administrator will tell you what your phone number is. For more help using your phone set/system, including voicemail, if your phone looks like this: (Meridian phone set) see these pages. If your phone looks like this:  (Sprint-Coral phone sets) see these pages (PDF) .
  • Cell phone – Your department administrator will work with NetCom or a cell phone representative to get you set up with a cell phone if your job requires it.  The vendors who have contracted to work directly with University departments are Verizon, AT&T-Cingular, and Sprint.
  • Pager – Your supervisor or department administrator can arrange to get you a pager if your job requires it.  The University Hospital has paging options that allow some good discounts.  See the Pagers webpage for more details.
  • UCard - Employees can obtain their UCard after attending Employee Orientation. They are issued a voucher that is taken to either UCard office to have their card made. The numbers on the front of your card serve to identify you in University records. It also provides numerous benefits, discounts and functions, such as library For more information on the UCard, see the UCard website.
  • Building access – The UCard provides access to most buildings on campus. (Administrators determine individual access rights utilizing the UCard.) Eventually all access will involve use of the UCard, including medical facilities and Research Park. 
  • Campus Information System - The CIS is an important staff resource.  It is an online system that houses your employee information, including your home address, your email address for official University communication, your emergency contact information, and your time & payroll information.  You access the CIS with your University Network ID (uNID) and password.
  • University Network ID (uNID) & password - Your uNID is your campus IT identity.  It not only allows you to access your CIS records, but many other IT resources on campus (see the list below).  To learn all about your uNID and how to set up your secure uNID password, see the uNID webpage.

The More Advanced Stuff

Network Access

Administrative Systems and Services

Academic Services

  • WebCT - online courses and course resources
  • Web Hosting – free website hosting for U departments and organizations
  • Uonline - fully online courses
  • Electronic Library resources - access to indexes, databases, and course reserves   

Personal Services

Important Computer Security Information