Before you arrive on campus:
Step 0: Prepare the technology you will bring to campus:
All St. Lawrence students are expected to have a personal computer they can bring to campus. Students often have different preferences for which type of computers they use, and St. Lawrence IT will always try to accommodate for these preferences, however, there is an official list of recommendations for what types of computers that IT can support.
Step 1: Set up the Microsoft Authenticator App on your phone.
St. Lawrence network accounts use multi-factor authentication to protect your information. In order to sign in to your St. Lawrence services, including your email, you will need to pass a multi-factor authentication check using either your phone number or the Microsoft Authenticator App. IT highly recommends that you download and set up the Microsoft Authenticator app as your method for multi-factor authentication.
Step 2: Setup your St. Lawrence email:
One of the most important resources as a student is your St. Lawrence email. You will be expected to check it regularly for updates from your professors, as well as to receive news and other information. This can be made easier by setting up your email on your phone.
Note that St. Lawrence University requires using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to access your account. When setting your password you will be prompted to validate your mobile phone number, alternative email address, and to install the Microsoft Authenticator app. When logging in using MFA you will need to validate your identity using one of these methods.
To check your email on your computer, you can do so by visiting the Outlook website at the following address:
Instructions for configuring your email on your smartphone:
Step 3: Install/Access Microsoft Office on your computer:
Many of your professors will be expecting your documents to be created within Microsoft Office applications, such as Word, Powerpoint, and Excel. These applications are available to you at no charge while you are a student at St. Lawrence, and can be installed onto personal computers or used from the web.
Step 4: Set up OneDrive on your computer:
OneDrive is a cloud storage solution that's included in Microsoft Office. It works similarly to Google Drive or Dropbox. Data you save to your OneDrive folder is automatically backed up to the cloud, so you can access it from any device you've signed into. This is highly recommended for your school documents, so that you can always ensure you have access to your papers and files even if your computer became unavailable.
- On a Mac or PC, OneDrive is installed as part of the Microsoft Office installation. Simply open OneDrive and sign in with your St. Lawrence email and password to get started.
- On other devices, a web client of Onedrive can be accessed here.
Step 5: Connect your computer to SLU VPN:
If you will be taking classes off-campus, you will need the SLU VPN to access all of St. Lawrence's resources. SLU VPN is a service that connects your computer to SLU's domain, giving you access to any resources you could use on campus. The VPN can be configured on your personal computer.
Instructions for configuring the SLU VPN:
Step 6: Connect your computer to the T Drive:
The T Drive is a file server hosted on St. Lawrence's campus where professors may sometimes put files that are needed for class. While not every class will require you to have the T Drive on your computer, you may want to install it anyway just to save yourself some time later. Please note that you must be connected to SLU VPN in order to connect to the T Drive from off campus.
Step 7: Familiarize yourself with important student resources:
There are several websites that you will use at many points during your time at St. Lawrence. You may want to bookmark these to ensure you have them at the ready for easy access.