Policies & Procedures

The following policies and procedures are an addendum to the overall policies and procedures for Digital Media Services. Click here to view the parent policies and procedures document.

Access to the Program

• To borrow equipment, clients must present a valid Loyola University Chicago (LUC) ID card and be currently enrolled in classes as a student or a member of the LUC faculty or staff. There are no exceptions to this policy.
• Please note that there is no maximum fine for overdue equipment. If a client returns equipment late, they will receive a one-time warning in addition to their fine. Note that frequently returning equipment late may result in being blocked from checking out equipment for the duration of up to an academic year.
• Any client with fines or fees due to the Digital Media Services or Information Technology Services (ITS) will not be allowed to participate in the ELP. Clients will be permitted to participate once their fines and/or fees are paid in full.

Reservations

Other clients of the Digital Media Lab depend on equipment being available for use. When you make a reservation using our online system, this will establish a pick-up time - not your assigned due date and time. Please contact the DML if you are unable to make your reservation time so that other clients may check out the equipment.

• Reservations must be made for all equipment. Click here to make a reservation for DML equipment.
• Reservations are not accepted over the telephone or via e-mail.
• Clients may not reserve equipment in their own name for pick-up by other clients.
• Reservations may not be transferred to another client. The client reserving/checking out the equipment and signing the contract will be held responsible for the equipment.
• Multiple or recurring reservations per month must be approved in advance and are not guaranteed.
• Please note that reservations are subject to the availability of working equipment.
• Clients have a 15 (fifteen) minute grace period to hold equipment that is reserved. If a client reserves equipment and is more than 15 (fifteen) minutes late for pick-up, their reservation may be cancelled to allow another client to check-out equipment. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Equipment Loan Check-Out Process

• Equipment will not be checked-out during the last 15 minutes of the DML operating hours. Clients are advised to take this into consideration when planning their check-out.
• Clients are responsible for ensuring that they have all materials required for the equipment. This includes cables, power adapters, batteries and other components.
• Clients are responsible for verifying all items on their contract are accounted for in any equipment loan prior to leaving the lab or the checkout process. After signing an Equipment Loan Contract, a client is responsible for all items listed on said contract. If an item is not returned or is lost, they will be billed to the client as a fine for the full MSRP.
• All DML items must be returned to a DML staff member during specified business hours to ensure that items are checked in and reviewed by both the borrower and the DML staff member to avoid unknown fines. When closed, materials may not be left outside of the DML or with other Information Commons and/or Information Technology Services staff. In such cases where the DML is closed, items will not be checked in until the next business day. Overdue fines may accrue against your account if the equipment is late as a result of returning equipment after the specified contract date/time and outside of operating hours.

During Your Equipment Loan

• Clients will be held responsible for damages to all equipment while it is checked out to them. This includes, but is not limited to: theft, abuse/misuse of equipment (both unintentional and intentional), neglect, or carelessness. Clients will be responsible for paying Loyola University Chicago a replacement charge for damage to and/or loss of the equipment and accessories issued to them. These charges will be subject to the same collection procedures that are used for fines or fees for damaged or lost materials.
• Damage, destruction or loss must be reported to the DML no later than the beginning of the next business day following knowledge of such damage, destruction or loss that was caused.
• Inspect all equipment prior to signing your contract as any damages that are not reported and/or identified during a checkout process will be the the responsibility of the client.
• Renewal requests received through email or telephone will not be accepted. All equipment must be returned to the original checkout location by the assigned date and time on a client's signed contract. In order to renew equipment, a new reservation must be made and the equipment must be returned to the lab to verify the equipment and sign a new contract. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Equipment Loan Check-In Process

• Equipment will not be checked-in during the last 15 minutes before the DML closes. Clients are advised to take this into consideration when planning their check-in.
• The DML staff will inspect equipment upon its return before discharging it from the borrower's account. If damages are noted, a member of the Digital Media Services professional staff will contact the client in regards to assessed fines.
• Clients should and are strongly encouraged to remain at the check-in desk until all items are returned to verify if any fines are present from their loan and that all equipment has been returned.
• Clients that do not remain at the check-in desk to verify returned equipment assume responsibility for any/all charges, fines and/or fees to their account for equipment that is late, lost or damaged. There are no exceptions to this rule and appeals will not be granted to any charges.
• Items that are returned after their assigned time will result in the client receiving an overdue fine for the number of minutes the equipment is late. There are no exceptions to this rule. All fines - excluding those to which have been assumed - after posting, may be appealed through MyITS only within fifteen (15) days of receiving notification. For more information about fines and fees, including how to appeal, review the Loan Periods and Daily Fines section(s) below.

Equipment-Specific Policies

• Gaming Systems
  • For game systems that are used in the Information Commons (Group Study Rooms, Digital Media Lab, etc), clients are expected to respect the noise policies.
  • All clients are expected to adhere to all local, state and federal laws in accordance with game ratings.
  • All systems with permanent storage will be cleared upon return. As a result, all gaming systems are considered Bring Your Own Memory Card "BYOMC."
  • Video games and system accessories may not be checked out separately from their respective systems.
    • For example, Hasbro's "Family Game Night" may not be checked out without the XBOX 360 system; however, you may check out additional games with your loan. Fines and fees will be assessed separately for games, game systems and accessories.
    • As an additional example, each system has 4 controllers available for loan; however, you may not reserve any XBOX remotes separately without the XBOX 360 system.
  • Damaged equipment for gaming systems includes scratched discs, any connected hard drives, remote controls, accessories, cases or other items indicated on your contract.
• Hard Drives
  • Clients are encouraged to verify the format of the hard drive they are borrowing. Previous users may have formatted a drive to their preferred format. Please note that Mac formatted drives may not appear when plugged into PC workstations. This does not indicate a failed drive, rather a drive that must be reformatted. Contact the Digital Media Lab for more information on reformatting external storage.
• Laptops
  • Clients checking out laptops may not install software to or copy software from the laptops. Any supported and available software needed on equipment loaned laptops should be requested at least three business days in advance.

Loan Periods & Due Dates

If you cannot return your equipment by the time specified on your contract/receipt, please address this concern with the staff member at the time of equipment checkout. Exceptions to this policy will be made in writing as determined only by the Digital Media Lab Specialist. Digital Media Advisors may not provide exceptions to this policy.

Overdue Equipment

Equipment that is not returned on or prior to the due date and time impacts clients that have made a reservation and are depending on the equipment. If equipment on loan is not returned within three (3) days from the initial due date and time, the equipment will be considered stolen. As of the third (3) day, a block will be placed against your account and the full cost of a replacement will be assessed on your Digital Media Services account. If no written notification is received from you within two (2) days from the date of this email regarding the status of the equipment, the full cost to replace the above item with the same or comparable model will be transferred to your account through the Bursars’ Office - which may impact class registration. Appeals will not be granted for cases of stolen or equipment overdue beyond three (3) days. Additionally, any items considered stolen may result in a report to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution at the discretion of the Manager of Digital Media Services.

Understanding Fines and Fees

All fines and fees are assessed based on the number of minutes that equipment is overdue. Please note that there are no maximum fine amounts for overdue equipment. Listed below are the daily overdue fine amounts for individual equipment categories*:

Equipment Name	Daily Overdue Fines*		Equipment Name	Daily Overdue Fines*
Audio Mixers	$175.00		Media Cards and Readers	$25.00
Cable Adapters	$25.00		Microphone Kits	$75.00
Calculators	$75.00		Mini-Hubs	$75.00
Camcorder Accessories	$0.00		Musical Instruments	$125.00
Camcorder Hardware Accessories	$225.00		Pantone Color Correction Kits	$125.00
Camcorders	$225.00		Podcasting Kits	$75.00
CD's, DVD's or Instructional Media	$25.00		Point & Shoot Cameras (Non-SLR)	$125.00
Chroma Keying Kits	$175.00		Portable DVD Players	$75.00
Clapper Boards	$75.00		Presentation Remotes	$75.00
Digital Camera Accessories	$0.00		Projector Accessories	$0.00
Digital Media Studio	$0.00		Projector Screens	$125.00
DV Tapes	$2.50		Projectors	$225.00
Equipment Cases	$0.00		Rechargeable Batteries	$2.50
Flip Cameras (All Models)	$125.00		SLR Digital Camera Hardware Accessories	$225.00
Gaming Accessories	$0.00		SLR Digital Cameras	$225.00
Gaming Hardware Accessories	$175.00		Textbook and User Guides	$25.00
Gaming Systems	$175.00		Tripods	$125.00
Hard Drive Kits	$125.00		USB Flash Drives	$25.00
Headphones	$50.00		USB, FireWire and Other Cables	$25.00
iPads and E-Book Readers	$175.00		Video Games	$25.00
iPods	$125.00		Webcams	$75.00
Laptops	$175.00		Web Conferencing Kits (Adobe Connect)	$125.00

* Please note that not all equipment in the Equipment Loan Program can be classified into the structure provided; however, all daily late fees are indicated on a client's contract at the time of signing. It is the responsibility of the client to review all fine amounts and contract information as detailed below.

Paying Fines and Fees

• Any fine or fee must be paid using one of two methods:
  • Online Using A Credit Card
    Using Loyola University Chicago's EPay system you can pay your fine/fee using your credit card from home. Visit http://www.luc.edu/digitalmedia/payments for more information and to pay your fine/fee.
  • In-Person Using Rambler Bucks
    The DML does not accept cash or credit cards as a form of payment for fines, fees or any other service. To add Rambler Bucks to your account, visit Campus Card at http://www.luc.edu/campuscard/bucks_add.shtml.
• Any fine or fee may not be paid using a University account code or internal transfer.

Fines and/or fees must be paid within 15 days of notice in the DML using Rambler Bucks. Any unpaid fines will be assessed a minimum amount of $25 to be posted to your account - which may impact registration. This means that if your fine is below $25 and is not paid within 15 days, it will be increased to $25 prior to being submitted to the Bursar's Office. All fines over $25 will remain at their current value and will be forwarded to the Bursar's Office in the same process described above. Due to billing restrictions, any fines received during the following range of dates will be subject to the following restrictions:

Prior to August 23rd, 2009, fines and/or fees must be paid within 30 days of notice in the DML using Rambler Bucks. Any unpaid fines will be assessed a minimum amount of $25 to be posted to your account - which may impact registration.This means that if your fine is below $25 and is not paid within 30 days, it will be increased to $25 prior to being submitted to the Bursars Office. All fines over $25 will remain at their current value and will be forwarded to the Bursars Office in the same process described above.

Appealing Fines and Fees

All fines - excluding those to which have been assumed - after posting, may be appealed to Digital Media Services only within fifteen (15) days of receiving notification. After the fifteen (15) day review period, appeal requests will not be granted.

All fine appeals must be made online through MyITS by visiting: https://myits.luc.edu/fineappeal. A complete appeal includes the following information.

• Date of equipment loan
• Detailed reason for the appeal of fine(s)/fee(s)
• Telephone number where you may be reached

You will be notified of the status of your appeal via e-mail; however, you may be contacted for additional information regarding your appeal. Most importantly, an appeal request does not guarantee that your appeal will be granted or denied. All requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Lost and/or Damaged Items

If the equipment you checked out is lost or damaged, you will be responsible for purchasing a replacement and/or repairs to service the item(s). Replacement cost(s) for each component are indicated on your check-out form. In the event that an item can be repaired, all costs will be forwarded to your Bursars Office account. An invoice of repairs will be provided to you at the completion of service. All charges and costs will be assessed to your account through the Bursars Office.

Stolen Items

If the equipment you checked out is stolen, you will need to file a police report and University Incident Report. If you fail to return the equipment and do not submit a police report and a University Incident Report, you will be responsible for purchasing replacement equipment. Replacement cost(s) for each component are indicated on your check-out form. All charges and costs will be assessed to a client's account through the Bursars Office.