Getting Help
There are many resources around CSE and in UNSW to help with
both academic, personal, or technical matters.
This page gives you starting points so you can hopefully help
yourself, as well as people whom you may want to contact.
If you require further guidance, the Contact Information & Referral Centre may be able to assist by confidentially referring you to other groups within the University who may assist, or providing you with relevant information. Contact is located in the East Wing of the Quadrangle Building, Ground Floor, and is open 10:00am to 5:00pm weekdays during session. Alternatively, you may also communicate with Contact by e-mail: contact@unsw.edu.au, or, phone: 9385 5880.
For Help:
Using Linux and the computers in CSE labs
For help with the CSE services, laboratories and facilities, and for a good
list of places to look for help and information, refer to 'The
Hitchhicker's Guide to CSE'. You may want to also check out The CompSoc Survival Guide for some very useful tips.
For a list of linux programs which may be considered equivalent for tasks you may
previously have performed on windows, check out The table of
equivalents/replacements/analogs of Windows software in
Linux
For an alphabetical listing of linux commands visit this page.
To see equivalent *nix commands for DOS commands you know, and a
handy summary of bash shell variables, go here
For Linux Technical support, contact
compsoc.linuxsupport. Make sure you use your CSE account
when mailing any compsoc list. Questions from non-CSE email accounts
will be ignored. If you'd like face to face help, turn up to
the compsoc office when it's attended (EE Level3, next to the labs),
and ask nicely. Alternatively, keep an eye out for scheduled WIC
consultations that we'll be running.
For help installing Linux on your computer, keep an eye
out for compsoc installfests. They are generally run once per
session.
For a vast range of programs you can run at home to complete
assignments and work from uni, see the Home Computing CD.
The homecomputing group also supports programs on the CD via an
email list.
If you are using an rpm based system, such as RedHat, mandrake
or SuSe Linux, you may find rpmfind.net particularly useful.
Of course, there are also a myriad of different IRC channels on many servers and
mailing lists upon which you can ask questions, get help, and
ultimately, offer solutions. Compsoc administers an IRC server, at irc.unsw.compsoc.net with
many channels, some of them subject specific (for more details
see the Compsoc IRC
page). Linuxchix also runs
an IRC server with tech and programming channels as well as a
general one. Many open source software groups have development and
support channels on the open projects irc server at
irc.freenode.net.
Grievances with CSE students and staff and personal
matters
If you have an issue with a member of CSE staff, or have
problems with the way a course (subject) is run, then it is usually best
to attempt to resolve the issue with the member of staff, with the
lecturers in charge of the related subjects, or with the coordinators of your program of study.
If the issue remains unresolved, then there are a number of courses of action that you may follow.
In many cases, your next step should be to contact the Grievance Officers,
who will be able to assess your issue and confidentially deal with you.
Where the issue relates to the teaching or administration of a subject, school policy, or other issues relating to a large group of students
and you wish to raise a complaint individually or as part of a group,
you may want to contact your Student Representatives
for help. Stureps are elected each year, and can represent you
anonymously if so desired.
Certain issues relating to Faculty matters or the University as a whole may best be dealt with by,
either, the Student Representatives to the Faculty Boards, Post Graduate Board
and Academic Board. Student representatives to the Boards may serve you by bringing the attention of the Faculty
or the University to issues of concern, or assisting you in approaching members of the University hierachy
in order to resolve certain issues. The Student Guildmay also be
able to assist in the resolution of grievances by offering advice, support and conducting action on your behalf.
For issues relating to discrimination, harrassment or vilification against your gender, race, religion, sexuality, or disabled status, it may be worthwhile to contact the Equity & Diversity Unit, who may be able to assist by offering advice and guidance in resolving your problem, or may refer you to and assist you with dealing with other organisations on campus.
If you feel that the problem is an issue with which WIC should
be involved, please feel free to ask a member of the wic executive for
help, and we will try our best to help you sort out the issue.
If the problem is of a more personal nature, you may prefer to
talk to the UNSW
Counselling Service.
Help with academic or related issues
If you are having trouble understanding course material, or
completing course work (lab work, assignments), there are many
people that are willing to help you.
For general help adjusting into uni life,
the UNSW Learning Centre can offer useful advice.
If the problem is with a comp subject, the first person you
should approach is your tutor. Try to sort out problems you
have inside the lab period, but if this is not possible, or you have an
urgent problem, most tutors are happy to be contacted by email.
When emailing your tutor, or anyone else for that matter, keep in
mind the CSE
E-mail Guidelines. Also remember that most tutors are also
students and have their own assignments, exams, kittens, puppies and
siblings to deal with. Be polite, be nice.
During periods before assignments are due, most subjects also offer teaching consultations.
The times for these are usually announced on the subject webpage.
In a teaching consultation you receive personal assistance from a
consultant, who is often also a tutor for the subject.
Other schools also organise opportunities for you to get help.
First year physics has
it's own study room, and at certain times tutors are available for
help. A student to student consultation scheme called
SSS is available for first year maths subjects.
Help with Careers, Jobs and life after uni
Original script by Sara Falamaki , Edited by
Daniel Judd
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Women In Computing