New Staff Starting On-Campus

Owned by Jessica Stockett
Last updated: Aug 11, 2022 by Andrew Ruether
2 min read

Swarthmore Account

All employees of Swarthmore College are provided an employee ID and username after their employment requirements are completed by Human Resources (staff) or the Provost's Office (faculty). Once the account is created, your hiring manager will contact you with instructions.

If you are an employee and have not received your account username, notify Human Resources for staff (610-328-8397) or the Provost's Office for faculty (610-328-8319).

Account Usage

Your username and password can be used to access most campus digital services, such as:

  • The campus network (Wi-Fi)

  • Google Workspace, including Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets

  • mySwarthmore

  • Banner administrative software

  • Moodle, Swarthmore's learning management system

For guidelines on responsible conduct while using Swarthmore accounts and services, please review our Acceptable Use Policy for Swarthmore College computer systems and networks.

Setting Your First Password

  1. Visit password.swarthmore.edu.

  2. Enter your Swarthmore Username (example: jsmith1) and click submit.

  3. Choose to verify your account By providing answers to my secret questions.

  4. Enter your 9 digit student/employee ID Number.

  5. You will now be prompted to configure your personalized secret questions. Close the pop-up message and proceed to answer the default questions. It is best to keep your answers simple, so they are easier to remember. Then click the submit button.

  6. You will now be able to reset your password. Choose Reset my password to continue.

  7. Create a new password based on the rules provided in the right-hand column - you may have to scroll to the right to view. Click submit. View our page on tips for creating strong passwords.

    1. In the event that your password fails to verify, a red 'X' will appear next to the rule(s) that were not satisfied. Make the needed changes and click submit again.

    2. If your password is accepted, you will see a pop-up message confirming that you have successfully reset your password. Click exit to close the session.

  8. You may now close this browser window.

Duo Two-Factor Authentication

Swarthmore uses Duo two-factor authentication to help you keep your Swarthmore account secure. This kind of authentication requires something you know (like your account username and password) coupled with something you have (a device registered with the service such as your cell phone). Requiring interaction with a device you have with you ensures that only you are able to access your account, even if your password were to be compromised. For more information about Duo please visit our Getting Started with Duo page. The first time you log into your Swarthmore account you will be prompted to register a device for Duo. For step-by-step instructions on how the registration process works, plus helpful tips for different device types please visit our page on adding and managing devices in Duo.

It is highly recommended that you register more than one device with Duo to make sure you never have an issue logging into your account. 

Requesting Computers, Equipment, and Services

Discuss with your supervisor what computer, peripheral equipment, and access to services you may need. Some of these can be set up during your account creation, your supervisor may be able to grant you access to some services, and some requests may need department approval. Departments can make requests for equipment and services for new staff through our support portal (support.swarthmore.edu). The Service Catalog requires login with a Swarthmore account.

Some common things departments request for new staff on our support portal include:

For additional resources on purchasing a computer, you can check out our guide on buying a computer.

Once services are set up for you, such as office phones, you will receive notifications at your Swarthmore email address. Please make sure you check there for updates and further instructions. If you requested physical equipment we will coordinate how to get that equipment to you through the request process.

If you need assistive technology or equipment, please review the Human Resources page for Faculty and Staff Disability Resources.

Connect to the Swarthmore Wi-Fi (eduroam)

You can connect to the campus Wi-Fi, eduroam, using the steps below.

  1. Connect to the eduroam Wi-Fi network

  2. For username, enter your full email address (e.g. jdoe1@yourinstitution.edu)

  3. Enter your home institution password

  4. For Android devices and Chromebooks: follow these configuration instructions

  5. Accept the security certificate if prompted, and follow any instructions to launch the registration webpage (see Register your Computer below)

    1. You can review the certificate and verify that it is the correct one by comparing with the following fingerprints, as of November 2023:

      1. SHA1 fingerprint:  AA:36:29:F1:B1:03:32:6C:00:8A:46:99:AA:62:E5:57:C2:CC:9E:AC or

      2. SHA256 fingerprint: B5:D4:45:E9:C1:08:F8:FB:DF:F7:D4:B9:C7:E2:AF:13:F0:40:6E:9F:9E:BD:A5:50:CE:25:C5:B3:37:EC:59:DB

Computers running Windows and macOS operating systems will have to install software at this stage. The software is an agent from SafeConnect that runs in the background called Policy Key. (The Policy Key software is not required for Android, IOS, and Linux computers.) A few moments after you first connect to eduroam, a web page should open with the Swarthmore network registration process - if not, open up a web browser and go to any off-campus webpage (e.g. cnn.com), which will redirect you to the registration page. Enter your Swarthmore username (leave off @swarthmore.edu) and password, then download and install SafeConnect to install the Policy Key. If prompted, install anti-virus - an up-to-date and fully functional anti-virus is required to obtain access to the network.

After installing the required software, it may take up to three minutes for your network connection to reconfigure. When it does, you should be online! If it does not automatically redirect you to the Swarthmore home page, open up a new tab or window, and try to go to your off-campus webpage again (e.g. cnn.com or facebook.com, etc.).

For more information on connecting mobile devices such as Android devices, you can visit our wireless internet access page.

Zoom

Zoom video conferencing is available for all staff. You will use this service to provide virtual class access and attend meetings. You can access Zoom via the web at swarthmore.zoom.us or download the desktop or mobile applications. For more information on Zoom please visit our Zoom Video Conferencing page.

Software

The most commonly used software should already be loaded onto any college-issued computer you receive, but if you need additional software you can see what is available to download from our software installation page.

Contact the Help Desk

Below is a list of all of the ways you can contact ITS or find information:







Ways you can contact ITS or find information:

ITS Support Portal: https://support.swarthmore.edu
Email: support@swarthmore.edu
Phone: x4357 (HELP) or 610-328-8513
Check out our remote resources at https://swatkb.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/remote/overview
Check our homepage at https://swarthmore.edu/its